Yesterday afternoon, the 2018 Geneva Motor Show gave press-days early access to the show floor. Most cars were still behind curtains or under wraps, but the new Polestar 1 was shown in all its glory.
While the car was announced a few weeks back, this was the first chance for the public to see it. And it is far more stunning in reality than the press release photos suggest.
It will be built in the same numbers as the original Tesla Roadster was build, about 500 per year. These cars will not be sold, just made available on a subscription basis — known in some countries as full operational lease.
Polestar is a PHEV and claims an all-electric range of 150 km (NEDC). This would be the first time the NEDC numbers are lower than the EPA numbers. Or the engineers have boldly succeeded were no other has gone before, make a sleek, lightweight sports car with a 34 kWh battery and a range of less than 100 miles.
The Polestar 2 and Polestar 3, who will follow this first offering, are fully electric and intended to be Tesla competitors.
The role of this first one is as a “HALO” car, and it is surely stunning enough for that.
It will also answer another important question asked by many commenters on this site — “Who will buy a Chinese electric car?” The Polestar factory will, in fact, be in China. I expect this car will end this silly discussion.
The largest carmakers in China are VW, GM, Ford, and Toyota, and who doubts that they know how to make a car. Volvo and Polestar will be exclusive Chinese brands that will have the trust of the western carbuyer.
But enough of this chatter, enjoy these first photos of the Geneva Motor Show.
Photos by Jos C. Olijve. These photos and more are available in larger sizes on CleanTechnica.pics.
I don't like paywalls. You don't like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don't like paywalls, and so we've decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It's a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So ...
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
