Swiss all-electric vehicle brand Polestar has taken the wraps off its first SUV.
The performance focused Polestar 3 produces 483bhp and 618Ib of torque - enough to launch the car from 0-62mph in five seconds, before reaching its top speed of 130mph.
Should the car be spec'd with the optional Performance Pack, power and torque is increased to 510bhp and 633Ib ft - enough to cut 0.3 seconds off the 0-62mph time.
Performance comes from a rear-biased dual motor powertrain, which draws power from a Lithium-ion, water cooled 111kWh battery. It delivers a claimed WLTP range of up to 379 miles on a full charge, and supports a peak charging rate of 250Kw. The 3 is also equipped for vehicle-to-grid bidirectional charging, which enables electricity to alternatively flow from the car back into a home or office building - useful during an outage.
To save energy under certain circumstances, Polestar says the rear motor can automatically be decoupled so the car runs on its front motor only, while there's also a torque-vectoring dual clutch feature for improved steering response.
Standard equipment includes air suspension with advanced chassis control - which electronically adjusts every two milliseconds, a full-length panoramic glass roof, LED lighting inside and out, retractable door handles with proximity sensing, and 21-inch alloy wheels.
The Plus Pack and Pilot Pack are fitted as standard for the first model year, and includes a 25-speaker system from Bowers & Wilkins supporting 3D surround sound and Dolby Atmos, soft-closing doors, a head-up display and the firm's Pilot Assist driver assistance system.
Pilot Assist uses five radar modules and external cameras, and up to 12 external ultrasonic sensors for driver-assistance safety features, such as blind spot intervention and automatic emergency braking.
The 3 also comes with additional interior rader units, which are said to detect pets for example, which have been unintentionally left inside the car. For driver monitoring, the car uses two closed-loop driver-monitoring cameras, which are claimed to detect distraction or drowsiness with warnings through the speakers.
All this is managed by a core computer from Nvidia, which serves as the 3’s ‘AI brain’.
For improved detail from the car’s 360-degree surroundings is an optional, more advanced Pilot Pack with LiDAR from Luminar, slated to launch in Q2 of 2023. It also includes an additional Nvidia control unit, three cameras, four ultrasonic sensors, and cleaning for the front and rear-view cameras, helping to prepare the car for level 3 and 4 autonomous driving on public roads.
Polestar says the interior features sustainable materials, such as animal-welfare-certified leather and fully traceable wool upholstery.
The SUV’s 14.5-inch centre screen runs Android’s Automotive OS. Co-developed with Google, the infotainment system supports over-the-air (OTA) updates to allow for continuous software improvement and the introduction of new features - avoiding the need to visit a Polestar dealer.
The Polestar 3 is priced from £79,900 and is available to order now, ahead of deliveries to begin in late 2023.