Author: CH_Han
Enjoying even if you can’t own it!
Almost every time we mention some high-priced models, especially when it’s a Chinese brand car, there’s always someone saying:
We shouldn’t make such expensive cars! We should make practical cars that everyone can afford.
I’m sorry, but I disagree with this view.
Although the basic function of a car is transportation, it is not just a means of transportation.
As a complex high-end industrial product, after more than a hundred years of development, the cultural and spiritual significance of cars is equally important as its utility.
For car enthusiasts, we love cars not only because they enable us to travel further and faster, but also because they carry emotions and dreams.
Cars can bring us the beauty of the past and the infinite possibilities of the future.
It can be a simple but durable tool, a comfortable private space, or an exquisite artwork.
The car we are writing about today is the “automotive artwork” brought by Polestar – the Polestar 6.
Before its official release, it stunned the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK under the name of Polestar O2.
After receiving rave reviews, Polestar officially announced the production of this concept car and changed its name to “Polestar 6” according to the Polestar production car sequence.
It is worth mentioning that the first batch of Polestar 6 “LA Concept Edition” will be sold in limited quantities, with only 500 vehicles worldwide and a quota of only 10 vehicles in China. The suggested retail price is 1.68 million yuan, with a deposit of 200,000 yuan, and delivery will start in 2026.
The differences between the limited edition and the regular edition are mainly:
- Consistent “Sky Blue” color with the concept car
- Light-colored perforated leather interior certified by animal welfare
- Unique 21-inch alloy wheels
- “Polestar 6 LA Concept Edition” logo on the front wings
- Exclusive digital numbering
The Polestar 6 is destined for greatness, and it is officially positioned as a “luxury all-electric supercar”.### Luxury, Futuristic, High-Performance: These are Its Tags
The goal of Polestar is to define what a pure electric convertible supercar should look like with its flagship, which is characterized by luxury, futuristic design, and superior performance, further strengthening the position of Polestar as a luxury brand.
The luxurious and futuristic sense of Polestar 6 is evident at first glance. The vehicle’s low profile, wide body, lifted rear, short front overhang, and long wheelbase feature classic sports car design proportions combined with Polestar’s minimalistic design.
The “Mjolnir” headlights have evolved to top and bottom split-suspended, and the same-color LOGO on the body is understated yet very distinguishable.
However, the designer deliberately revealed the sharpness of Polestar 6 at the rear.
The tail design resembles a spaceship exhaust port, with straight, sharp lights running through it. The vertical lines inside the lights are full of energy, resembling the flames of a spaceship engine, always ready to break through the limits of gravity.
On the Polestar 6, there are no complicated or exaggerated lines or elements. Its luxurious, futuristic, powerful, and thoughtful design seems to be an inherent part of the vehicle rather than something that the designer deliberately created.
Two interesting details stand out:
First, on the bottom of the front door, like Polestar 1, the Polestar 6 marks the body material, which is aluminum alloy instead of carbon fiber this time.
It is based on the scalable all-aluminum platform developed by the Polestar UK team, and by using the all-aluminum body and adhesive technology, Polestar 6 can achieve better lightweighting while maintaining body strength, thereby optimizing the vehicle’s range and dynamic response.
Second, there is a white energy bar on the rear fender with the words “Charging Status” on it. During charging, the energy level will be displayed here.As visible to the naked eye, the current exhibition car is still a concept car with electronic rearview mirrors. The official statement is that the production car will strive to restore the appearance of this concept car, but due to regulations and engineering implementation, how much of it can be retained on the production car is still uncertain.
Compared to the exterior design, the interior of the Polestar 6 is less stunning.
The suspended center console vertical screen, the hidden air outlet, the suspended armrest box, and the two mobile phone charging panels below the center console screen have also been seen on many cars.
What’s a little fresher is the all-new style of the steering wheel used in the Polestar 6, and for the first time, it uses a gear selection lever that combines with the LCD instrument panel like the Volkswagen ID series.
As for the seats, the one-piece seat of the current exhibition car looks very “conceptual” and futuristic, but the likelihood of production is very small.
The “Swedish gold” color seat belts and the “SINCE 1959” nostalgia on the seat belts, as well as the audio system of Bowers & Wilkins, which is used by Volvo, are likely to appear on the production car.
As for the space and riding experience in the second row, these are not issues that the intended users of a supercar would care about.
In terms of the interior, what is most interesting is the uncertainty it brings.
For example, we did not find any door switches or buttons inside or outside the car. Will it use electric doors?
For example, what kind of convertible form will this car use? Hardtop or soft top? Can a Polestar logo (previously called a family feature) be projected on the ceiling?
For example, the gimmick-filled self-contained drone with movie-level automatic aerial shooting function, which can automatically follow the vehicle at speeds below 90km/h, whether will it appear on the production car?
These questions cannot be answered even by the Polestar staff present, as the car will not enter mass production until 2026. According to the schedule, it is not yet time to consider how and whether its functions can be implemented.
Before that, there is plenty of time for designers to fill the car with their wild ideas and for engineers to showcase their manufacturing artistry.
So, anything is possible.
Regarding Polestar 6, it is now basically certain about its performance parameters.
It will adopt a high-performance 800V electrical architecture. With higher charging efficiency, its front and rear dual motors can provide a maximum output power of 650kW and a peak torque of 900N·m. It accelerates from zero to one hundred kilometers per hour in just 3.2 seconds and has a top speed of 250km/h.
At present, these performance parameters are definitely worthy of its supercar status.
Of course, when it enters mass production and when more and more electric supercars are released in four years, it is hard to say whether these parameters will still be sufficient or not.
The delivery time of Polestar 6 is indeed too long.
However, there is no need to blame Polestar for selling futures, as the quota of only 10 vehicles in China was already sold out on the first day of launch!
Polestar’s China team is applying for more quotas to fulfill those who have paid a deposit of 200,000 yuan but still cannot get a car.
As for friends who, like me, love Polestar but find it expensive, there is no need to be upset either. The Polestar brand has entered a new development cycle. In the next five years, it will release four new pure electric products.
Last night, the new large and medium-sized pure electric SUV – Polestar 3, was officially released and opened for pre-orders. After you see it, you will find that:
What was previously unaffordable is now even more unaffordable!
The domestic price of Polestar 3 is 880,000 yuan for the dual motor long-range version and 1.03 million yuan for the dual motor performance version.
The dual-motor long-range version comes with:
- Front and rear dual motors, maximum power of 360kW and maximum torque of 840Nm
- 0-100km/h acceleration time of 5.0 seconds
- 111kWh battery, CLTC cruising range of 670km- Double air suspension, Brembo four-piston calipers, 21-inch rims
- Parkview audio system, power tailgate, electric power steering adjustment
- Nappa leather seats, heated front and rear seats, ventilated and massage front seats
- Head-up display, automatic parking and advanced driving assistance system
The dual-motor high-performance version is like adding a high-performance package to the long-range version, including:
- Gold safety belts, gold calipers, and other small gold details
- 22-inch forged rims
- High-performance software upgrade
- Laser-engraved gold atmosphere lights
- Power increased to 380kW and 910Nm
- 0-100km/h acceleration time of 4.7s
The Polestar 3 will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2023. Both models are now available for booking, and models with lidar will not be available for booking until next year.
Therefore, for the Polestar brand, we cannot measure it by factors such as sales volume and cost-effectiveness for the time being.
If you think it’s too expensive, it just means that you are not its target audience.
But it is undeniable that whether it’s the Polestar 6 or the Polestar 3, they can be slowly savored like “automobile artworks.”
This is what we need to see and know.
When can we also create cars like the Polestar 6 that are so beautiful that people can enjoy just by looking at them, even if they cannot own them? Then it is truly when Chinese cars become powerful.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.