Electric vehicle maker Polestar has announced that later this year it will add a pair of lower-priced versions of its Polestar 2 to make it accessible to a wider range of buyers.
One of those new trims will be a less-powerful single-motor model, and the other will retain the current version’s dual-motor powertrain but come with fewer standard features.
While the single-motor model will make do with a relatively modest 231 hp (a little more than half of the dual-motor setup’s 408 hp), it will add driving range thanks to its use of the same 78-kWh battery pack. Polestar says it estimates the single-motor setup will be good for about 418 km on a full charge, an increase of around 38 km.
The other new variant – a dual-motor 2 in a “simplified” configuration with fewer upscale niceties – will boast the same 408-hp output as the loaded-up Launch Edition.
Both new Polestar 2 configurations will be less expensive than the Launch Edition’s $69,900 MSRP, though the company hasn’t revealed what their prices will be. Single-motor versions of the Tesla Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover start at $51,700 and $55,000 respectively, and our guess is the new Polestar 2 configuration will be positioned to go after the same shoppers.
Buyers of either new Polestar 2 variant will be able to add in extras from a new list of option packages.
One is a Plus package, which bundles a panoramic sunroof with a 13-speaker stereo; vegan WeaveTech upholstery; black ash wood dash trim; and heated front and rear seats, steering wheel, and wiper blades. The Plus Pack also adds a heat pump that reduces battery draw to keep the cabin warm in cold weather, which Polestar says can improve driving range by as much as 10 per cent at temperatures between about 4 and 15 degrees Celsius.
A Pilot package adds pixel LED headlights and LED fog lights, adaptive cruise control, pilot assist, 360-degree camera views, front and rear parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, cross-traffic alert with automatic braking, and rear collision warning.
The third and final option bundle is a performance package of Ohlins dampers, upgraded brakes, sport tires on 20-inch wheels, and gold trim accents inside and out.
Plus package buyers can also add Nappa leather upholstery with ventilated seats; other standalone extras are metallic paint and an electric folding trailer hitch.
Polestar says it will announce pricing “in the coming weeks” for single-motor and lower-spec dual-motor versions of the 2, with deliveries of single-motor models set to arrive in Canada at the end of this year. The company says the fully loaded Polestar 2 Launch Edition will stay in the lineup as the model’s top trim.
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