Update: ‘Design’ and ‘Polestar market expansion’ sections updated.
On September 27, 2021, Polestar announced plans to go public with a merger. In the announcement, the company shared teasers confirming the launch of three models. Among these is the Polestar 5 (codename: Polestar P61A), which should be the brand’s most capable EV. Here’s everything we know about the future electric sedan.
Name
Like every other Polestar of the present and the future, the new electric sedan has a numerical name. Naming things can get complicated and confusing, so Polestar is choosing to keep it simple for now.
Talking to TechCrunch on the sidelines of The Quail during the 2022 Monterey Car Week, Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said that he has “seen too many painful name-giving processes in the car industry to ever get into it.” If you still do manage to come up with a name, there’s a risk of trademark infringement, Ingenlath added. For now, the company is content with a nomenclature that doesn’t involve anything other than numbers.
Design
The 5 is a highly aerodynamic, four-door GT derived from the Precept concept. Highly aerodynamic won’t mean Polestar will go to extreme lengths and come with something polarizing, though. The EX90 is evidence enough that the company strongly values the design and character of its EVs.
During the Financial Times’ Future of the Car 2023 conference, Volvo CEO Thomas Ingenlath expressed that he believes it is acceptable to sacrifice a kilometer or two of range in order to prioritize the desired character and brand identity of an electric vehicle, as reported by Autocar.
Ingenlath stated his willingness to compromise the vehicle’s efficiency to a reasonable extent to enhance its overall quality and character. Not all customers desire an electric vehicle focused solely on aerodynamics, particularly in the case of luxury brands like Volvo. Mercedes-Benz’s approach with the EQS and EQE models, and the emphasis on aerodynamics, has led to some criticisms. Fortunately, Polestar is taking a different path in this regard.
Polestar had strongly indicated that the Precept is an achievable reality, not a fancy dream or a pure sci-fi imagination. We see it meant every word, as the production version looks nearly identical. The 5 is just as sleek, sporty, and athletic as the Precept with the same low and wide stance and voluptuous body. Just like the concept car, it has extremely short overhangs, tilted T-shaped, split “Thor’s Hammer” headlights, and razor-sharp character lines.
That said, the production version of the Precept has subtle visual changes. Polestar appears to have raised the hood’s height, enlarged the lower air intake, and swapped the thin mirrors with conventional mirrors, and the rear-hinged rear doors with front-hinged ones. We’re pleasantly surprised that the company has carried over the visibly large wheels that fill the arches in the original size.
The nose section houses several sensors needed for the functioning of the ADAS. The LiDAR sensor doesn’t stick out of the roof; the designers have achieved neater integration, which couldn’t be said of the Precept concept. Like the Polestar 3, the Polestar 5 will get long-range LiDAR sourced from Luminar. Polestar may offer LiDAR on its 4-door GT as part of an optional Pilot Pack, just as it does on its first SUV.
Polestar 5, a luxury electric 4 door GT Polestar 5 is planned to be the production evolution of Polestar Precept, and will introduce a new in-house aluminium chassis and powertrain.
Statement from Polestar in its Annual Review 2021
Overall, Maximilian Missoni (Head of Design, Polestar), Nahum Escobedo (Exterior Design Manager, Polestar), and Krister Olofsson (Senior Exterior Studio Engineer, Polestar) have come up with a brilliant design that could shake up the four-door GT segment.
When we got to the Precept, it’s very very close from the sketching of the idea to the concept, and then now from the concept to production (Polestar 5), I think we are very very close to that idea.
Nahum Escobedo, Exterior Design Manager of Polestar
Rendered based on patent images
Patent images of production Polestar 5 appeared online in 2022, exposing its exterior design, including angles and details not seen in the previous teasers. They confirm subtle changes on the outside. At the front, it doesn’t have the concept’s slim upper grille and features a revised lower air intake and larger headlights with additional modules.
On the sides, we can see a larger charging port on the front quarter panel, regular mirrors, and normal rear doors. The wheels look an inch smaller on the road-legal version. Based on the aspects revealed through patent images, TopElectricSUV.com presents a rendering of the Polestar 5. It captures the grille with the ADAS sensor, revised air intake, larger headlights, a larger charging port, normal mirrors, conventional rear doors, and smaller wheels.
Interior
Android-based operating system
The 5 should feature cockpit screens running Android Automotive OS. With AR-HUDs improving significantly, automakers are reducing the size of instrument clusters. Expect the Polestar 5 to feature a compact 9-inch widescreen serving as the instrument cluster, and a large, 14.5-inch portrait touchscreen in the center of the dashboard. The Polestar Precept concept has already given us an overview of such a cockpit layout.
Materials
With the Polestar 5, the company will likely take new steps for sustainability and alternative materials. It will use recycled fishing nets (Nylon 6) for the car’s floor mats. Another example will be the usage of waste and recycled cork-based vinyl for seat bolsters and headrests. Lastly, like in the 3, it may offer bio-attributed MicroTech, animal welfare-certified leather, and fully traceable wool upholsteries.
Seating
The Polestar 5 could feature individual sport seats for four occupants. In the concept version, Polestar showed that individual sport seats were planned for the rear passengers. If offered, the rear sport seats will likely be optional, as some luxury car customers still prefer the more practical bench seat.
Features
In addition to rivals from established global brands, the Polestar 5 will need to tackle competitors from newfound Chinese companies that are getting more innovative with every passing day. From swappable lithium-ion batteries to semi-solid-state batteries, in-car movie projectors, AI-based voice assistants, and more, models from companies like Nio and Xpeng Motors are bringing the latest in technology ahead of their Western competitors. Now part of a Chinese conglomerate itself, Polestar will need attractive features to compete in the global marketplace.
Autonomous driving features
Expect the Polestar 5 to be a highly software-based, highly hardware-ready car. Polestar has confirmed that it will offer “unsupervised highway driving pilot” in the 3 SUV, so, there’s no question about the flagship model getting SAE Level 3 or higher autonomous driving capability.
The Polestar 5 should feature an autonomous driving tech, providing customers with the convenience of purchasing and unlocking autonomous driving functions anytime during the ownership.
Interior sensors will likely ensure the driver doesn’t leave behind children or pets inside, and if they still do, the children or pets remain protected with the climate control system turned on so that they don’t get a heat stroke or hypothermia. Two interior cameras should monitor the driver to ensure they are attentive and focused on the road.
Comfort & AVN
Panoramic glass roof with illuminated Polestar symbol, one-pedal drive with regenerative braking level adjustment, dual-chamber air suspension with active dampers, three-zone automatic climate control system with an air filter, and 1,610-watt, 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system with Dolby Atmos could be other highlights of the Polestar 5.
Software updates would continue improving the functioning of the existing features and introduce new features. Polestar will release them online, letting customers download and install them without needing a service center visit, right from home or any other place of convenience.
Platform
The 5 will sit on Polestar’s all-new bonded aluminum platform. Commenting on the car’s prototype debut at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed on June 23, 2022, Pete Allen said that this platform brings together the characteristics of a low-volume performance car and modern technological advances to make a lightweight, high-rigidity sports car chassis technology ready for series production. Allen is the Head of Polestar’s UK R&D center.
Citing Ingenlath, a report from Autocar published on June 14, 2022, says that this platform will offer “supercar levels” of body stiffness. Developed in-house, it will be lightweight and rigid focused on performance as well as environmental advantages. Polestar expects new materials and techniques involved in the manufacturing process of the body-in-white (finished platform and body) to help it keep its weight in check.
This architecture delivers outstanding dynamic and safety attributes, with low investment technology applicable to high production volumes.
Pete Allen, Head of Polestar UK R&D on the new platform of the Polestar 5
Polestar wants the 5 to have better torsional rigidity than that of a traditional 2-seat sports- or supercar. Its 280-strong former F1 team is working on its first in-house platform in the UK. The bonded aluminum platform is a labor-intensive and difficult-to-use technology, but this team has combated those challenges by coming up with a new, faster manufacturing process that develops the body and platform together, the company said in a press release in February 2022.
Polestar UK chief engineer Dave Kane says that having supercar levels of torsional stiffness is essential for achieving class-leading ride and handling dynamics. Allen says the 5’s body boasts “carbon-fiber levels of torsional stiffness, like a two-door sports model.”
Vehicle engineering director Steve Swift says the development team is looking for sophistication. According to Swift, a model that rides and handles well and offers good road noise cancellation will appeal to both those who love spirited driving and those who prefer comfortable driving. He believes the 5 needs to balance between being engaging and comfortable.
Specifications
Performance
The Polestar 5 could come in single-motor RWD and dual-motor AWD variants. The former could sport the company’s 450 kW (603 hp) rear motor, and the latter could have a system power of 650 kW (871 hp) with an additional front motor.
On June 23, 2022, Polestar announced that its new flagship powertrain, a dual-motor system with a total torque of 900 Nm (664 lb.-ft.), is currently under development in Sweden. If all goes according to plan, this impressive new powertrain will make its debut in the Polestar 5 and also be available in the Polestar 6.
Battery & Range
Back to the Polestar 5, like the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT, it could be one of the few EVs featuring a two-speed transmission, and it will feature 21-inch wheels. An 800-volt battery pack with a multi-charging system (400V and 800V) and 103 kWh of storage capacity could be the source of energy. The energy density of the Polestar 5’s battery should be better than that of the Polestar 2. Expect bi-directional/vehicle-to-grid charging compatibility and an ultra-fast charging time (to 80% SoC) of about 20 minutes. Polestar is targeting a range of more than 600 km (373 miles).
Production
The Polestar 5 will enter production at the end of 2024. Polestar will manufacture the 5 at Geely’s Chongqing factory in China. Geely owns the manufacturing facility, but it is operated by Polestar.
Currently, Polestar is building prototypes of the 5 at its R&D center in the UK. Pete Allen, Head of Polestar UK R&D, has said (via YouTube) that the company will produce around 20 prototypes at the UK facility. About 13 prototypes will be drivable, and the remaining purposed for static tests for high-speed and low-speed crash performance and structural durability.
Release Date
Polestar plans to release the 5 at the end of 2024. However, during the Q4 2022 earnings conference call on March 2, 2023, Ingenlath indicated that availability will be limited at launch. He said that this car will become fully available in the world market in 2025.
The company brought a camouflaged Polestar 5 prototype at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June 2022, and drove it up the iconic hill twice daily. Recently, a similar prototype, registered in the UK, was undergoing winter testing on snow-clad roads, Motor1.com revealed with spy pictures on March 1, 2023. We ran a license plate check and learned the car was a black-colored unit built in December 2021.
Polestar expects to sell 11,000 units of the 5 in 2024 and 30,000 units in 2025. It sees the 2, 3, and 4 as high-volume cars. The 5 will likely be a niche model debuting the brand’s high-value innovations and elevating its reputation to bring it on par with established luxury brands.
Polestar market expansion
Polestar plans to expand its availability to 30 markets by the end of 2023 and should further increase its retail presence by the time of deliveries of the Polestar 5 in 2024.
As of May 11, 2023, Polestar has 140 retail locations in nearly 1,120 points worldwide, including 30 Polestar spaces up and running in the U.S. The company’s operates through Satellite sales offices as well, aimed at the smaller markets which are unmissable. It will tie up with local importers in some markets where it cannot or doesn’t want to establish its own sales network.
Polestar is trying to keep its costs in check and ensure its future model projects remain secured. Below is what Johan Malmqvist said during the company’s Q1 2023 earnings conference call on May 11, 2023, on that matter:
Polestar in the near term and reduce the cost base by taking out around 800 rolls that were planned to be added this year, taking us back to the 2022 base of around 3,000 employees. We are undertaking a wide range of additional actions, while at the same time safeguarding the development of Polestar 5 and Polestar 6.
Johan Malmqvist, CFO, Polestar (Q1 2023 earnings conference call on May 11, 2023)
TopElectricSUV says
The 5 will be a pure electric four-door GT with a wind-cheating design, a luxurious four- or five-seat interior, extremely high performance, and a long range. It is likely to be way ahead of the Tesla Model S in many aspects, while undercutting it in pricing. With Polestar’s UK R&D team developing the car, the 5 is likely to be a true driver’s car that offers a phenomenal ride and handling and plenty of excitement despite being a BEV.
Polestar 5 FAQs
What is the Polestar 5 release date?
The Polestar 5 will go on sale in the first markets in late 2024.
Which cars will be Polestar 5 rivals?
The 5 will compete with the likes of the Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQE, Porsche Taycan, and the Audi e-tron GT.
What will be the Polestar 5 price?
The base Polestar 5 should start at around USD 100,000 in the United States.
Featured image: TopElectricSUV’s render of the Polestar 5
I got my Master’s in Business Management & Administration and have been an International Automotive News Editor since 2014. I’ve traveled to global motor shows and automotive events, driven various types of vehicles, and focused on hybrid and electric cars in the last 4 years.
