The concept car that precedes its design was called the Volvo Concept 40.2. It was designed by Thomas Ingenlath alongside the Volvo Concept 40.1, which later became the basis of the XC40. These two concept cars were both unveiled in 2016. However, Volvo decided to shift their focus to small crossovers later that year.[10] Therefore, Polestar picked the 40.2 as the basis for their Polestar 2 design.[11] Volvo's exterior design chief Maximilian Missoni tweaked the car's taillights, grille, and wheels in order to differentiate it as a standalone vehicle.[12] The Polestar 2 is also the first car with Google's Android Automotive operating system built in.
The production version was officially unveiled on 27 February 2019 during an internet livestream and made its first public appearance at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show that month.[13] The car has a starting suggested retail price of US$49,900 as of October 2021.[14] For the 2022 model year, Polestar announced that additional options would be available for the Polestar 2.
2024 facelift
Polestar 2 2024 facelift
An updated Polestar 2 was revealed in January 2023 for the 2024 model year, with rear-wheel drive becoming the standard drivetrain for the entry-level model instead of the previous front-wheel drive. The single motor model was upgraded to produce 299 hp (303 PS; 223 kW) and 361 lb⋅ft (489 N⋅m) of torque, an increase of 68 hp (69 PS; 51 kW) and 118 lb⋅ft (160 N⋅m), resulting in a 1.1 second faster 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) time - now 5.9 seconds. The long range trim's battery was also upgraded to a capacity of 82 kWh. The powertrain of the dual-motor model's output was raised by 13 hp (13 PS; 9.7 kW) and 79 lb⋅ft (107 N⋅m) for a total of 421 hp (427 PS; 314 kW) and 546 lb⋅ft (740 N⋅m), enabling a 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) time of 4.3 seconds. Dual-motor models, now using an asynchronous motor in the front, will be able to disengage the front axle to increase efficiency and range.[15]
The front end also received an update, exchanging its grid-like grille for a more covered version, with an array of sensors and a camera in the center. In addition, the Pilot Pack will come standard for dual-motor models in the North American market.[15]
BST edition 270 / 230
BST edition 2702023 Polestar 2 BST Edition 230
Launched in March 2023, the BST edition 230 is similar to the BST edition 270 introduced in June 2022,[16] with changes including different colors and the grille insert coming from the facelifted Polestar 2.[17]
Technical upgrades include a suspension lowered by 25 mm (0.98 in), specially designed Öhlins manually adjusted dampers, stiffened springs, bespoke Pirelli P ZERO tires, and improved performance, with the two electric motors having been tuned to produce a combined output of 470 hp (480 PS; 350 kW).[18]
Safety
Interior
The Polestar 2 is designed to protect the battery pack during an impact and automatically disconnect it after a collision. On both front ends a SPOC (Severe Partial Overlap Crash) block is attached to mitigate the crash forces and prevent any material entering the occupant compartment. The Polestar 2 also features a centre airbag to protect from far-side impacts.[19]
The Polestar 2 obtained a 5-star 2021 Euro NCAP rating with a 92% score for protection of adults, 89% for protection of children, 80% for protection of vulnerable road users and 86% for safety assist.[20]
A seatbelt reminder system is fitted as standard equipment to the front and rear seats.
A driver-monitoring system monitors steering inputs and warns the driver if it detects those which are characteristic of drowsy driving.
A speed assistance system is fitted as standard. The speed limitation information system did not meet Euro NCAP's requirements.
The speed limiter can be set manually, and points were awarded for that part of the speed assistance system.
A lane assistance system gently steers the car if it is drifting out of lane and also intervenes more aggressively in some critical situations.
In tests of its reaction to other vehicles, the AEB system performed well, with collisions avoided in almost all test situations.
In October 2020, Polestar issued a recall on all Polestar 2 models due to a software defect that caused loss of power to the vehicle whilst driving. As the vehicles were not capable of OTA software updates at that time it required all of the vehicles to be recalled to a service centre for a manual software update.[21]
Later the same month a second recall was issued due to faulty inverters.[22]
From September 2021 to March 2022, the Polestar 2 Single Motor Standard Range with a 64 kWh battery and 165 kW power, 224 hp was available in Europe. The battery for this version was made by CATL. The 64 kWh and 165 kW power version is available until now in China, as the only Single Motor Standard Range version.[24]
Starting with the 2025 Model Year, only the Dual-motor variants will be available in North America.[25]
Environment
Using the ISO 14044 method, Polestar 2 has lower life-cycle emissions than the XC40 when driving more than 35,000 to 80,000 kilometres (22,000 to 50,000 mi), depending on conditions.[26]
Delivery
Polestar's factory is located in Chengdu, China.[27] All cars for the European market get shipped to Shanghai, China, by train. In Shanghai, the car gets placed on a boat to Zeebrugge, Belgium. In Zeebrugge, the European cars get approved after European new-car rules before getting shipped to the destination country.[28]
^Götze, Jan. "So günstig wird der Polestar 2" [The Polestar 2 will be this affordable]. Auto Bild (in German). Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
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