Volvo’s luxury electric spin-off Polestar has been one of the leaders in high-quality EVs and they have been planning to launch several models over the years. The one that is most likely to make some noise on the car enthusiast circles is the Polestar 6 sports car. However, it has recently been pushed to the back of the queue on future releases.
Originally the Polestar 3 and 4 SUV’s will be the next cars to be released. Followed by the fastback Polestar 5 which is expected to arrive in 2026. And cutting the line the Polestar 7 SUV will arrive before the sports car Polestar 6, based on declarations from Polestar spokesperson Mike Ofiara “the highly anticipated Polestar 6 will arrive at a later stage.”
This news were originally reported by Australia’s CarExpert magazine and subsequently confirmed by Polestar
What is the Polestar 6?
Polestar originally previewed the 6 in March 2022, back then dubbed the O2 Concept car (like the oxygen molecule), announcing that it would be for sale in 2026 and starting to take reservations a few months after the presentation.
There are a lot of details from the O2 Concept that originally Polestar commented on maintaining the production car. Such as the concept’s retractable hardtop, the shortened platform made completely of bonded aluminum and an 800-volt charging system for fast-charging capabilities as well as quick discharge. With the exception of the retractable hardtop, Polestar is planning on featuring these features on the 5. Which would allow Polestar to fine-tune all the components and software controllers for the awaited 6.
The O2 Concept was a 2+2 configuration with barely usable rear seats, meaning this would compete directly with Porsche’s 911. And just like Gregor Hembrough, head of Polestar Americas, told MotorAuthority at the time of the unveiling of the O2 Concept “Polestar wants to be a Porsche competitor, in design, performance, and innovation.” And if you are going to go up against the Stuttgart brand, you need to have a 911 competitor. And given that Tesla hasn’t yet come out with the Roadster, having a fully electric competitor to the 911 would be quite exciting. Hopefully the 6 will indeed make an appearance in showrooms by 2027.
As far as powertrain, Polestar hasn’t specified that the 6 is going to be powered by anything different than what powered the O2 Concept. Meaning we would be looking at a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system that would produce 884 hp and 663 lb-ft. Launching the sports car on the 0-60 dash in 3.2 seconds, and an electronically limited top speed of 155mph (250kph).
From the photos shared back in 2022 about the we can expect the Polestar 6 to be a head-turner if the design remains the same thanks to the light blue paint color in part. Its shape can be compared to a 911-sized Lotus. Especially since now both brands are under Gleely’s umbrella. Rear buttresses flanking the passengers either way over the trunk lid offer a continuous line whether the roof is up or down just like other two-seater cars like the McLaren 720S Spyder or the Ferrari F355 spyder. But the middle section actually could serve a purpose as a launchpad for a drone that appears from behind the rear seats.
On the O2 Concept we could also see the signature Volvo-Polestar lighting design featuring Thor’s Hammer LED lights and a rear LED light-bar that framed the rear of the car following Volvo lighting convention.
In contrast, the Polestar 7 will be a small SUV that could replace the Polestar 2 as the entry-level model for the brand. And to get around recent tariffs announced both in the US and Europe for Chinese-manufactured EV’s, Polestar will build the 7 in Europe. Skipping the 6 would allow Polestar to first sell a higher-volume vehicle which is likely to have higher sales and profits than the niche sports car Polestar 6.
