The North Star There appear to be some more powerful variants in the works, but it’s unclear whether it will add a performance sub-brand to the ranks.
Following a press conference at the 2024 New York auto show that ended last week, Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath was asked about whether the brand was considering a performance sub-brand.
“We now want to introduce more energy options across the product range,” Mr. Ingenlath told reporters.
When pressed further, the CEO said “at Goodwood we will give a little more clue as to how we will capture the strength and performance aspect of the brand”.
The 2024 edition of the Goodwood Festival of Speed begins on July 11, but usually media events and product launches take place in the days before.
While Polestar currently markets itself as a luxury electric car brand with Swedish roots, the company started out as a race car manufacturer and then a Volvo tuner in the mid-2000s.
It was acquired by Volvo in 2015, where it became the Swedish brand’s in-house performance sub-brand before being spun off into an independent brand, focusing first on plug-in hybrids and now is a pure electric vehicle.
As an independent brand, Polestar has so far avoided introducing high-performance variants.
The closest it can get to its sporting heritage is the limited edition BST version of the Polestar 2. Although the BST cars do offer more power and torque than other models in the range , but they have improved handling with lowered suspension and other tweaks as well as a slightly sportier look.
With the production of important products North Star 3 And North Star 4 crossover is currently underway and with potentially some nicer models in the works, the company is certainly looking to improve the media narrative surrounding the brand.
After delivering just 54,600 cars in 2023, well below its original target of 80,000, Polestar has laid off 15% of its workforce. This was followed in February by Volvo, then Polestar’s largest shareholder, divest the majority of shareshand over most of it to parent company Geely.
In March, Polestar raised $950 million in capital from outside investors.
