New Electric Polestar 2 – with the new electric Volvo XC40 Recharge’s powertrain – production begins

Production of the Polestar 2, Polestar’s first fully electric car with the same powertrain as the new Volvo XC40 Recharge, begins in China.

Just as car production grinds to a halt in the UK and Europe as Covid-19 restrictions bite hard on our way of life, China, where this all began, is starting to wake up from their confinement.

That means car production is starting up again, and Polestar have now started production of the Polestar 2 ahead of first deliveries in Europe later this year.

Revealed more than a year ago the Polestar 2 is Polestar’s first actual EV, and comes with the same powertrain as the new electric Volvo XC40 Recharge, but rather than being an SUV like the Volvo, the Polestar 2 is more of a high-riding saloon, looking just like the Volvo 40.2 Concept we saw almost four years ago.

The car Polestar are building in Luqiao, China, is the Polestar 2 Launch Edition – at the top of the range – with its £50k plus price tag, 78kWh battery, 402bhp and a range of 310 miles, although there will be lower spec, less powerful, Polestar 2 models to follow.

Polestar CEO, Thomas Ingenlath, said:

The world is facing enormous upheaval in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

We start production now under these challenging circumstances, with a strong focus on the health and safety of our people. This is a great achievement and the result of huge efforts from the staff in the factory and the team securing the supply chain. I have a huge amount of respect for the entire team – thanks to them!

Deliveries of the Polestar 2 are supposed to start in the summer, but that probably depends on where Covid-19 takes us in the meantime.