Polestar (Polestar ) is a high-performance electric car brand jointly created by Volvo and Geely . Currently, there are two models on sale, namely sports car Polestar 1 and compact car Polestar 2. On October 13, the car brand brought another new car - Polestar 3, positioned as a high-performance medium and large SUV. The new car was launched in a total of two versions of the model choices, the dual-motor long-range version and the dual-motor high-performance version, with prices of 880,000 yuan and 1.03 million yuan respectively.
Polestar 3 is the third model launched under Polestar, and it is also its first SUV model. From the pricing point of view, Polestar 3 is aimed at the high-end market. The two versions of the models launched this time are also equipped with high-tech configurations such as luxury kits, auxiliary kits, Nappa leather interiors, etc. The new car is expected to start its first batch of delivery in the fourth quarter of 2023.
From the appearance point of view, the design style of Polestar 3 is different from the first two models. The classic "Thor's Hammer" headlight design is replaced by a double L-shaped headlight. The closed front center grille shows the identity of pure electric. A flow-through air hole is also designed on the front position and the front cover to meet the aerodynamic effect and reduce wind resistance.
On the side, the hidden door handle of the new car also reduces wind resistance. The design of a small triangle window along the lower window and the roof at the rear is formed, which makes it more dynamic visually, but the area of the rear window seems a bit small. I wonder if the real inside experience will make people feel depressed. In addition, the rear part of the car is simpler than the front of the car. The taillight shape is a common through-type design nowadays. The rear wing of the roof is hollowed out, which can provide a certain amount of downforce when driving at high speed. The interior layout of the new car also implements the simple theme. The central control is equipped with a large 14.5-inch vertical screen. This design style is somewhat similar to the model of NIO . In addition, the small-sized rectangular LCD instrument can appropriately reduce the obstruction of the driver's field of view. The design materials used in the entire car look a bit different from those of the million-level model.
power, the Polestar 3 dual-motor long-range version model provides a maximum power of 360kW, the maximum torque of 840N·m, the official zero-hundred acceleration score is 5s, and the range of 670km under CLTC conditions is ; the dual-motor high-performance version model has a maximum power of 380kW, the maximum torque of 517N·m, the official zero-hundred acceleration score is 4.7s, and the range of 620km under CLTC conditions is .
As an SUV model, the Polestar 3 obviously caters to the appetite of Chinese consumers, but judging from the current pricing, the Polestar 3 is unlikely to become a popular model. Judging from the data, the Polestar 1, which is also in the luxury car market, has a sales volume of up to 1.45 million yuan, has only 24 units in 2020. If the Polestar 1 is to establish a high-end brand image, the market performance of the Polestar 2, which is in the mid-to-high-end market, is not satisfactory. The sales volume in August this year was only 51 units, and the cumulative sales from August 2021 to August 2022 were only 1,657 units. Such sales can only be described as "dismal".
Not to mention the high-end luxury market, the competition in the mid-to-high-end new energy market is fierce enough. The representative Xiaopeng G9, NIO ES7, Ideal L9, etc. are all new cars that have just been launched this year, and their product strength is even more advanced. For example, the Xiaopeng G9 is equipped with a dual-chamber air suspension and has an 800V super charging capacity; Ideal L9 has a single-chamber air suspension; while NIO ES7 has an interior layout similar to Polestar 3, and the new generation of neural network technology also makes its NOMI voice system more anthropomorphic. Moreover, the luxury of these three cars is not inferior to that of a number of luxury brands. The Polestar 3, which is priced at
, is obviously more expensive. In such a competitive context, it is obvious that it has to rely on tougher product strength to impress consumers. Otherwise, everyone may be more willing to choose the "Wei Xiaoli" model.
From the current market perspective, perhaps because Polestar 1 took the high-end route at the beginning, it failed to open the domestic market. When it came to Polestar 2, there were more competitors and the lack of product strength, and it was not able to grasp the market well. Now, the arrival of Polestar 3 is aimed at the SUV market that is the most popular among Chinese people, but the high pricing may be a major reason that hinders its becoming a hit. This path is not easy to go if Polestar wants to reversal the market's decline with Polestar 3.
