Polestar 2 “sold out” in Australia and Europe, Australian configurator closed

Barely one month after opening to orders in Australia, sales of the Polestar 2 electric fastback have been frozen by the China-based, Volvo-owned EV maker as demand outstrips supply in several of its key global markets.

The Driven heard on Tuesday from readers and via social media that the Australian configurator page for the Polestar 2 had closed, and later confirmed with the EV maker that this was the case, at least temporarily, while updates were being made. Australian customers can still place orders for pre-configured – or pre-built – cars, however.

“Due to high demand, we have sold out of current cars in Europe and Australia,” a spokesperson said in an emailed statement on Tuesday.

“As a result, we will close the Configurator for new configured orders in these markets for the time being. We are working to take in new configured car orders and enable the Configurator as soon as we can.

“When enabled, the Configurator will include updates to the Polestar 2. Should you wish to be contacted when orders open, please leave your details and you will be notified by Polestar once online orders reopen: Polestar – Configure your Polestar online.”

The news delivers the latest blow to a severely constrained global electric vehicle market – a situation that is particularly keenly felt in Australia, where lack of supporting federal policy has already resulted in a slow-growing and limited market.

Wait times for the Tesla Model 3 now extend into 2023, the Model Y is still not available in Australia, the latest offering of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 sold out within minutes, while the Kia EV6 says the wait list could be years unless supplies increase.

The Polestar 2 joined the relatively small pool of EVs available in Australia in mid-February, with deliveries of the first 180 vehicles from the high-performance electric marque kicking off in March.

Described as a “fast-back” rather than a sedan by the performance brand created by Volvo and Geely, it is priced from $59,000 (plus add ons and on road costs), and in mid-March had 220 in stock in Australia or on the way, with many more on the wait list.

In Australia, interest in the new EV was instantly high – Polestar said it had taken at least 3,000 bookings for test drives ahead of its roadshow and the first allocation to the local market was quickly accounted for in pre-order registrations.

Note: This story updated to remove reference to Korea.