Volvo’s Polestar unveils all-electric Polestar 2, competitor to Tesla Model 3

Volvo’s performance brand Polestar unveiled a new electric vehicle on Wednesday set to rival Tesla’s popular Model 3.

The “Polestar 2” is a premium five-door fastback with two electric motors and a 78 kWh battery capacity that will enable a targeted range of 500 km. The car has a total output of 408 horsepower and can accelerate from 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds.

In comparison, the Tesla Model 3 Performance can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds and has a 310-mile EPA range.

The Polestar 2 will be offered as a “launch edition” in its first year of production and initially have a price tag of 59,900 euros ($68,200). After that, the starting price will drop to a more reasonable 39,900 euros ($45,400). It will only be available for ordering online.

“Polestar 2 is our first fully electric car and first volume model. Everything about it has been designed and engineered with passion and dedication. As an electric performance brand, and through the forthcoming launch of a portfolio of fully electric cars, Polestar is determined to address the world’s air quality challenges. Polestar delivers electric performance cars that are great to own and drive,” said Thomas Ingenlath, Chief Executive Officer of Polestar.

The vehicle will initially launch in China, the United States, Canada, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK. Polestar says that it is considering other markets for future expansion.

The Polestar 2 will make its first public appearance at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show in March.

It will also be one of the first cars to embed an infotainment system powered by Google’s Android operating system. Polestar says that this will provide “a solid and adaptable digital environment for apps and vehicle functions to coexist”, and brings embedded Google services to a car for the first time – including the Google Assistant, Google Maps with support for electric vehicles and the Google Play Store.

The Polestar 2 will start production in China in early 2020 for both left- and right-hand drive markets.