The company has laid the groundwork for the Polestar 3.
“When we launched Polestar 2, we had no U.S. stores,” Hembrough said. “We had very little infrastructure with regards to logistics. Our parts and service system wasn’t set up.”
Since then, Polestar has beefed up distribution, increased port capacity, and now has an existing customer base.
“We have a good number of people driving Polestar 2 now,” Hembrough said. “We know that the majority of them have an SUV in their driveway. So we [can] solicit them on the Polestar 3.”
This summer, U.S. dealers will learn more about Polestar 3 configurations and pricing, and “when we’ll have cars for customers to see, touch and feel,” the executive said.
The Polestar 3 is based on a new all-electric platform developed by Volvo for its next-generation vehicles, designed with dual motors and expected to go more than 300 miles on a single charge. The new platform will also offer eyes-off, hands-off autonomous driving capability, once that technology is approved.
Hembrough acknowledged the Polestar 3 will launch in a more competitive market than the Polestar 2 did. Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Porsche are bringing battery-powered crossovers in the next few years.
But that can be a good thing, Hembrough said.
“More entries into the marketplace mean more eyes are going to be looking at EVs.”
Polestar believes it will be easier to convince petrol heads to ditch their V6 engines than to coax EV die-hards to trade in their Teslas.
“If we’re only going to target electric vehicles, we’re going to be fishing in the same pond,” Hembrough said.
