What a busy - some might say hectic - year 2024 has been for this brand. As well as the new CEO and other big news, such as the launch of the 3 and 4 in Europe and the addition of US production, Polestar has a new CFO starting in three weeks' time.

Along with the major infusion of cash announced a few months ago, it will be hoped that the appointment of a former high-ranking Stellantis executive helps to steady a ship which finds itself in especially choppy waters. Financially, there is a lot going on, so Jean-Francois Mady will have much to manage right from day one.

Volvo dials down, Geely hopes for eventual profits

The 62.7 per cent tranche of Polestar held by Volvo Cars would be handed over to Geely Holding, the Swedish OEM stated in February, adding that it would retain 18 per cent. Shares in the Nasdaq listed Polestar Automotive Holding UK PLC had been volatile (i.e. crashing and partially recovering) for some time back then, and PSNY remains so.

The official position is that Polestar and Volvo continue to collaborate even if the former majority owner will provide no further funding. Certainly, substantial spending is set to continue, while cashflow should expand in a major way if the two most recently added models are a success. Things are at least off to a good start in China, and also those European countries where the cars had already been launched before their arrival in the UK.

Factories in China, the US and next, Korea

A vitally important issue, namely how to avoid the 100 per cent duty being levied by the US and Canadian governments on China-made vehicles, has been settled too. In this case, Renault Korea Motors will act as a contract assembler of the Polestar 4, build being scheduled to commence “by the second half of 2025”. These cars will be for South Korea and North America. The only downside is a delayed launch of the 4 in the US and Canada. The Ningbo/Hangzhou Bay plant remains the main production base for other markets, including European ones.

The backstory of where Polestar finds itself as we enter the final quarter of 2024 is important to note, particularly for any brand which has staked its all on EVs. If the still-young company can survive and thrive after all that the last four years have thrown at it - commencing with C-19 in China - it should be near-bulletproof. Which is what Geely hopes. Also worth pointing out, even with a new CEO, the electric vehicles-only strategy remains.

4 is smaller and cheaper than 3

It could take a little time until potential customers work out what is what in the line-up but the numbers should in theory keep things simple. Only there is no longer a 1, and the 4 is positioned below the 3. A 5, a 6 and a 7 are also coming but we can leave the discussion about those cars until the end of this piece. First though, what exactly is a Polestar 4? The short answer is an SUV-Coupé, whereas the longer and more expensive 3 is an SUV.

Straight away, this model is going to get noticed. Where, for instance, is the rear window? It hasn't got one; supposedly this means better headroom. Passengers certainly do have oodles of space, along with the option of a reclining rear seat.

Polestar wanted to create a relaxing, wrap-around cocoon. With that in mind, you can customise lighting according to nine planet themes: blue, orange, green and so on. Decorative lines across the dashboard, behind the back seats and even within the roof are flooded with soft lighting. On a rainy day in Wales and England, Jupiter orange looked lovely.

Real buttons where other cars have none

Gentex supplies the digital mirror. The good news: you soon become accustomed to it. Wearers of varifocal lenses or spectacles, as well as polarised sunglasses may however take a little time to adjust (i.e me). There is another issue though.

With a normal rear-view mirror, we automatically switch between glancing at back seat passengers and what is behind the vehicle. Not so in a Polestar 4: you must press buttons to change views. And as for an obvious concern, a specially shaped cover over the roof-mounted HD camera is claimed to keep water and dirt away from the two lenses.

As with the 3, the stance of the 4 is like no other car. The body-coloured panel where the rear window would be is somehow not an obvious change: it looks almost normal. The doors are frameless, glazing is flush and the back end has a high-opening tailgate.

From any angle this SUV looks futuristic, sleek and sexy. The tech-tastic stuff is also state of the art, and in relevant countries, that includes ‘Chauffeur’ capability thanks to Mobileye’s SuperVision-based ADAS. With this Level 3 system, the driver may look away for a limited time on certain roads.

Power, platform, production plant

Powering the 4 is either one or two 200 kW motor(s), with energy stored in a 94 (100 gross) kWh 400-V li-ion battery. Drive is to the back axle or both, and there are steel springs and ZF dampers rather than the air suspension of the 3. The ride is just as comfortable - a 2,999 mm long wheelbase helps - but dynamically, the SUV is superior to this SUV-Coupé. There isn’t much in it but you can notice the differences with lean more pronounced in the 4, along with less direct steering, even in the sharpest of the available settings.

The platform is SEA-1 (pronounced SEE-ah) and customers in China have been able to take delivery since last December. Building it in Hangzhou Bay - close to the HQ for Zeekr and Geely Holding itself - is logical as the Zeekr 001 is its platform and powertrains twin. Even though they roll off the same production line, the bodies and many other details differ, it should be pointed out.

Fastest Polestar yet

The 4.8 metres long 4 is the fastest vehicle yet from this brand. Whereas the maximum power of the top-spec 3 is 380 kW, in this case it is up to 400 kW. However, torque is only 686 Nm compared to 910 Nm in the 3 with Performance pack. Despite these similarly dimensioned models arriving in Europe at the same time, they really are quite different vehicles. As the separate platforms and plants attest.

RWD and one motor or two with AWD

You may choose from Long range Single motor or Long range Dual motor(s) variants, WLTP respective distances to empty being 385 and 367 miles. A standard heat pump is very good news for colder months, while the front motor can be disengaged on the Dm version to save energy, automatically re-engaging via fully pressing the right pedal. Charging is at up to 200 kW.

On the inside, there is one big similarity, that being a glass roof. Even though there is no blind, at least the embedded liquid crystals will reflect most UV light. Below this sits a landscape-format screen and there are sports seats, the front ones lacking separate head restraints. The central barrier separating occupants is wide and there is a great amount of space to stow things below it.

Physical controls have been mostly banished. Was that to save cash? This affliction has also long been a Volvo thing. So it is that you must remind yourself that the hazard lights are activated by pressing a switch on the ceiling. At least there is one big dial for volume and play/pause, while P-R-N-D are on a stalk which has equally satisfying, precise actions. More of this and less scrimping please Polestar.

We know many Chinese buyers prefer touchscreens over physical controls but if GWM can offer both then why won't other OEMs? The new for-export Wey 07 has buttons and dials while its home market Wey Lanshan equivalent - the same vehicle with a different name - does not. Hopefully this is the start of a trend. How soon until some clever-greedy car maker has the idea to charge extra for old-school, safer switches?

Adjusting vents on the move means eyes off the road

So. There are no mirror buttons or toggles, nor can you move the vents any way other than via the touchscreen. At least most things are fairly easy to find, while pressing these virtual commands is based on a system of orange signifying on with grey meaning off. Want to open the glovebox? Quite a faff: why on earth is there no simple latch (with a lovely action and sound)? Minimalism or money saving?

On a happier note, cabin roominess is outstanding and that continues in the boot. Lifting the tailgate reveals 526 litres of luggage capacity, expandable to 1,536 (plus 15 under the bonnet, just the right size and shape for the cables).

One final and hopefully obvious feature worthy of mention: a so-called Animal mode. Obvious to concerned passers-by that is, with the central screen able to display a message which states My owner will return soon, Interior temperature xx degrees. Polestar claims the A/C can be run for up to eight hours.

Conclusion

As noted in the recent review of the 3, Chinese registrations of the 4 are good so far. Now it is the turn of European markets to lift the global sales tally and in so doing, give Polestar the boost it really needs. This new SUV is a great addition and should attract many new customers.

The new Polestar 4 is priced from GBP59,990. There are four bundles of options: Plus pack (no cost), Pilot pack (GBP1,300), Pro pack (GBP1,800) and Performance pack (GBP4,000).

Next for Polestar

The 5, a long fastback sedan aimed at the Taycan, will be the next additional model, followed by the 6 and then the 7, which is to be an SEA architecture successor for the 2 crossover, though this is a few years away.

Due in 2025, the 5 will be manufactured in China but Polestar is yet to say where cars for Canada and the USA are to be produced. Ridgeville could in theory be tapped for this. Trouble is, the two models presently made at the retooled South Carolina factory (Volvo EX90 and Polestar 3) use a different architecture, which complicates things.

A roadster called 6 should arrive in 2026: it has already been heralded by the 02 concept. The brand claimed that it had sold every one of the planned 500-cars-only production run shortly after announcing the 6 as a prototype in March 2022.

Would that Polestar could have the earned financial arrogance of, say, Ferrari: like Aston Martin or McLaren it will surely produce as many examples of the 6 as can be sold. Exclusivity is all well and good but when cash reserves are far from sky-high yet cash-burn is exactly that, it makes no sense to pretend as many orders as possible are not the absolute priority. In any case, the 6 looks stunning and surely 1,000+ sales will be possible over the course of a few years.

Things could come full circle in 2028 with the potential debut of a second generation 1. The original range extender powertrain is unlikely to return, a big battery and high-outputs motors seemingly being more likely for this hypercar. A rock-solid business case will have to be locked in first though. Much then depends on how the 4 and 3 plus the future 5 perform in markets worldwide.

"2, 3, 4: Polestar posse poised to perform" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand.

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