Polestar 2 confirmed for Australian launch in November

Polestar, the Swedish EV-only brand jointly founded by Volvo and Geely, has confirmed it will launch its exciting Polestar 2 into the Australian market in November this year.

While there was some expectation the brand might not launch until 2022, Polestar’s Australian managing director, Samantha Johnson, said November had “always been the plan”.

“Polestar sees considerable potential in the Australian market, which is why it will be one of the first markets to launch as part of the company’s Asia Pacific expansion,” Johnson added.

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The brand will launch with an online sales model, or “direct-to-consumer” as they call it, but there will also be physical stores – known as Polestar Spaces – where customers will be able to get a rundown on the cars and test drive them. 

It’s not clear yet how many there will be, or what cities, and the price positioning of the Polestar 2 is still very much under wraps – and under discussion – according to Johnson. Polestar is described as “an all-electric performance car brand”, and was formerly the performance arm of Volvo.

The brand made its announcement at a pre-launch brand partnership event held in Sydney today with Semi Permanent and Highsnobiety, where Johnson was among several environmentally focused speakers.

Polestar has committed to building the world’s first climate neutral vehicle by 2030.

To give that some context, Polestar conducted a Life Cycle Assessment report – a study designed to determine the lifetime environmental impact – of its new model, the Polestar 2.  

An LCA includes the emissions from materials production, the manufacturing process, the usage phase of the vehicle, as well as its end of life recycling. 

The uproot found that a Polestar 2, charged with renewable energy alone, would have a lifetime carbon footprint less than half that of an equivalent petrol vehicle. Even if you charged one using dirty coal electricity, the carbon footprint would be lower.

A totally climate-neutral vehicle, then, is a real challenge.

“We will achieve this goal through the elimination of emissions rather than offsetting the program by planting trees,” Johnson explains. 

“Known as the Polestar 0 project, it will require all of our suppliers to make the same extraordinary commitment. It also means transitioning towards full-circle sustainability, which requires a complete re-think when it comes to designing and manufacturing a car.  But we’re up for the challenge, and can I say, the future looks bright.”

Johnson confirmed that this new vehicle would be built in China and that an entirely new factory would have to be constructed to meet the zero-emission goal.

The Polestar 2 will also be one of the first cars to get the new Android Automotive operating system that not only controls infotainment but also other features of the car, from seats to lights.