Polestar has announced an official Australia launch date for the Polestar 2, the first all-electric vehicle released by the Volvo-Geely brand.
Rumours of an Australian launch before the end of 2021 were first heard in March, when Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath announced that the Asia Pacific region including Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore had been pinned for the next lot of launches of the Polestar 2.
Now, in a pre-launch event hosted on Thursday in Sydney, recently appointed Australian managing director, Samantha Johnson, confirmed that Australia’s launch will take place in November.
“We’re delighted to announce that the highly anticipated all-electric Polestar 2 is expected to be launched locally by November 2021,” Johnson said in a note by email.
“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.”
The Polestar 2 will be sold via a direct-to-consumer sales model, and supported by physical showrooms called “Polestar Spaces” – much like EV pioneer Tesla.
The Polestar 2 has been met with positive reviews in global markets, and will be an interesting addition to the Australian market, which has a limited choice compared to other right-hand markets due to a lack of supportive policy.
While local pricing has not yet been announced, the Polestar 2 starts in Germany from just €39,900 ($A62,856 converted). And word is that it may be available under a subscription model that would include basics like servicing and connectivity.
However it may be available at first only in its Launch Edition, which cost €59,900 in Germany, which equates to $A94,363 and that is before import costs and other on-road fees.
Still, the Polestar 2 promises to give a lot of bang for buck. As a sleek, fastback-style vehicle with specifications that meets the likes of Tesla’s higher end electric vehicles, it has a 78kWh battery, dual motors offering 300kW power combined and 330Nm torque, and a targeted 500km range.
It is one of few on the global market, alongside the Lucid Air, that elevate the electric car from a car with an electric motor instead of an engine, to a whole new electrifying driving experience without the uber-premium price of EV sportscars like the Porsche Taycan.
At least, that’s what we hope to experience when it gets here in late 2021. Stay tuned.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.