The Swedish-based but Chinese-owned Polestar brand is to expand its model lineup in Ireland next year with the arrival of a four-door GT model: the Polestar 5.
It comes as the company introduces "business" versions of three of its current models to attract more fleet customers.
Originally seen as a concept car in 2020, the Polestar 5 hasn't changed a great deal, but what we might not have anticipated was the extent to which Polestar would power the car as a direct competitor to alternatives like the Porsche Panamera and the Mercedes EQS.
Polestar is promising outputs of between 737 brake horsepower and 884 horsepower for the dual motor version and the Performance version, respectively. The company is claiming that the ranges for both cars will be up to 670 kilometres for the former and 565 kilometres for the latter.
As is to be expected, the Polestar 5 has been designed with the Scandinavian minimalism that has characterised its range since launch, an example of which is its low nose and dual blade headlights with Pixel LED capacity.
The way the roof has been sloped gives it a very clean line and an impressively low drag factor. The roof, incidentally, is the largest ever fitted to a Polestar and measures two metres in length and 1.25 metres in width.
The 5 is designed as a four-plus-one seater, meaning a smaller one can occasionally take the space between the two rear-seat passengers, but in reality, it is at its most comfortable with two in the back. The front seats are low-slung and designed by Recaro.
There’s a 14.5" centre infotainment screen powered by Google and a 9" driver information screen.
What Polestar call its SmartZone houses sensors, radar, and a forward-facing parking camera. The car adjusts its speed and position in its chosen lane, at speeds of up to 150 km/h. The 5 has 11 vision cameras, a driver monitoring camera, 12 ultrasonic sensors and eight airbags.
It uses interior radars to detect the number, position, and type of occupants to deploy the correct safety measures in the event of an accident.
Of course, all of this will come with a significant price tag. While prices for Ireland have not yet been announced, Polestar in Europe is quoting a guide of €119,000 for the dual motor version and €142,000 for the Performance version.
In the meantime, Polestar Ireland has launched "business" editions of its 2, 3 and 4 models.
The 2 version features things like 19" alloys and an electric tailgate and comes in at €44,025, while the 3, which, oddly, is bigger than the 4, has a large panoramic roof and adaptive cruise control. It has a claimed range of 706 kilometres (usual caveats about claimed ranges apply) and a price of €83,950.
The 4 has a claimed range of 620 kilometres, and it comes with 20" alloys and a 360-degree camera. It starts at €56,490.
