Emerging EV challenger Polestar’s design language up for review. Next Polestar 2 could herald revised look as new design boss arrives
A new exterior and interior design direction for Sino-Swedish electric luxury brand Polestar could take shape from next January as ex-Audi designer Philipp Roemers takes the reins.
The new style may not be seen on production cars in showrooms until 2027, but the second-generation Polestar 2 would be at the forefront of the change.
Polestar has built a strong visual language around a sustainable Scandinavian design ethos, and its line-up is locked in until the roll-out of the 2025 Polestar 5 GT sedan and 2026 Polestar 6 sports car.
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But critical change arrives next January when former Audi executive Philipp Roemers replaces the departed Maximillian Missoni as head of design.
Missoni, who has shifted to BMW, oversaw the development of Polestar’s design language since 2018.
During a recent visit to Australia, Polestar 3 large SUV exterior designer Nahum Escobedo admitted to EV Central there were plenty of question marks about the direction Roemers would take Polestar in.
“I am as curious as you are,” he said.
“He’s supposed to start in January so we haven’t had that [design direction] conversation as a team, so we don’t know exactly what his thoughts are when it comes to how the brand will move forward.
“We are as excited and have as many questions as you do. We want to know how he will lead the brand into the future.”
Joining Polestar with the next Polestar 2 as his first likely job to oversee is logical for Roemers. It is the first model renewal for the brand and was originally intended to be a Volvo when first created, so Polestar didn’t have full control over its creation.
“For us it’s the perfect timing, [Roemers] starting with the next generation,” Escobedo said.
“We are very excited overall because you look at the Polestar 1 right through to the Polestar 6, we have pretty much our own line-up now.
“Phillip, you look at his resume it is very, very exciting. A great amazing designer, a great leader.
“I think for us we are very excited to see what the next phase of Polestar could look like.”
Roemers’ CV at Audi and VW before that includes the seventh generation Golf small car, Audi A3, A6 and Q8.
Escobedo shied away from any discussion of existing plans for the Polestar 2.
“To be honest right now we have been so busy with the 5 and 6 for now that is our main goal, to ensure we deliver this line-up … then we will start to look into what makes sense for us in the future.
“But right now there is no plan.”
But certainly ideas. Escobedo confirmed the January meetings with Roemers wouldn’t just be the new boss presenting his vision.
“As a design team you are always looking to what the future could be,” Escobedo said. “As a design department we cannot stand still.
“When he comes in we will present what we are doing and what we think as a team.”
The arrival of Roemers is just part of a major Polestar overhaul. Founding boss Thomas Ingenlath, a former car designer, has now been replaced as CEO by Michael Lohscheller, an auto executive with a more orthodox CV running Opel – and briefly VinFast and Nikola – as well as being the chief financial officer at Volkswagen North America.
Lohscheller has taken over a business experiencing substantial financial difficulties. Polestar has failed to hit sales targets for a variety of reasons including the global slowdown in EV sales, has been dropping hundreds of millions of dollars per quarter, and its share value dipped up to 90 per cent within two years of its spin-off from former parent Volvo.
The Polestar 4 medium SUV, which is expected to be the brand’s biggest seller, launches in Australia in November.
