FORTUNE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 173“WHAT IS THAT?” is a
question Polestar 2
owners will hear count-
less times in dozens of
parking lots. And “What
is a Polestar?” is a very
fair question—thanks to
both Polestar’s novelty and
its confusing corporate
history.
Originally a moniker giv-
en to Volvo’s performance
division—similar to BMW’s
M subsidiary—Polestar
was spun off by Volvo and
Chinese parent company
Geely in 2017, and set free
to develop electric vehicles
unconstrained by the
customer expectations
that go with the company’s
Scandinavian heritage.
Its first vehicle, Pole-
star 1, was a two-door,
plug-in hybrid sports
coupe. It lived up to the
performance credentials
of the Polestar name, but
at a price of $156,000 and
with the brand commit-
ting to just 1,500 produc-tion cars, it was intended
to make a statement more
than a market impact.
The fully electric Pole-
star 2, however, is squarely
aimed at the upper-middle
masses, with a $59,900
price tag for the dual-
motor Launch Edition.
(A cheaper, single-motor
version is coming in 2022.)
And it sets itself directly
against the market-leading
Tesla Model 3.
Which should you buy?
It’s the natural question to
ask, but not a straightfor-
ward one to answer. If you
want the fully integrated
EV experience—the lon-
gest range, access to Tesla’s
vast Supercharger net-
work—and like the cut of
Elon Musk’s jib, the Tesla
might be calling you. For
those who always preferred
the Rolling Stones to the
Beatles, Chuck Taylors to
Nike Air Max, or DC to
Marvel, the Polestar 2 is
worth a closer look.
Designed by the
company’s German CEO,
Thomas Ingenlath, and
manufactured at a Geely
plant in Zhejiang prov-
ince, China, the Polestar 2
nevertheless retains aMade in China
The Polestar 2 is made at Geely
and Volvo’s “super factory” in
Luqiao, China, along with the Volvo
XC40 and the Lynk & Co 01.AUTOPole
Position
The Polestar 2 is a Swedish-designed, Chinese-made
EV that deserves your attention. BY DANIEL BENTLEYCOURTESY OF POLESTAR