Almost for Normies: Polestar 2 Enters Production As Other Automakers Go Dark

Now fully an automotive brand, Polestar aims to attract more than just a limited number of hugely wealthy customers. That was Polestar 1. Now it’s time for Polestar 2, a more affordable, four-door electric sedan with sporting prowess and eco-consciousness in spades.

How did Polestar pull off the unusual feat of starting production of a new model when assembly lines across the globe are going dark amid the coronavirus pandemic? Because production is occurring in China, the country that birthed the virus, then left it on its neighbors’ doorsteps.

Hopefully the professionally aggrieved won’t be offended by that controversial slice of reality.

Yes, Geely-owned Polestar, like its former Volvo parent, has the advantage of having Chinese manufacturing space carved out for it. That country is coming back online following a self-reported lessening of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Like Volvo’s compact XC40 crossover, the Polestar 2 utilizes the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform; it went into production alongside that CUV in a Luqiao, China plant and greeted its first customer-bound models on Monday. European customers should receive theirs this summer, with U.S. buyers waiting until later in the year for a taste of the $63k Launch Edition.

Polestar 2’s specs are quite competitive. Twin electric motors front and rear put out a combined 408 horsepower and 487 lb-ft of torque, which doesn’t add up to a tepid driving experience. Those motors draw current from a 78 kWh battery pack. While driving range isn’t known, the EPA figure is expected to be far closer to 300 miles than 200.

Obviously, the Polestar 2’s main rival will be the Tesla Model 3 — a model that also recently started up production in China.

[Image: Polestar]