Polestar 4 counts on bold design

POLESTAR likes to do things differently. It thinks of itself as a global company, with a grounding in Sweden, an engineering base in the UK and production facilities in China and it's listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange in New York.

- Steve Fowler

That different approach continues to the cars themselves, including their design and naming. With no legacy models to worry about, we've had Polestars 1 and 2, with the 3 SUV set to launch in the UK later this year. Now we have this new Polestar 4a coupé-SUV, which is set to become the company's biggest-selling model when it goes on sale in spring 2024 - while the 5 and 6 are still to come (see panel, right).

Described by Polestar design director Maximilian Missoni as "the reinvention of the coupé-SUV", the 4 will sit between the 2 and 3 when it comes to size and price.

Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath - the former design director of Volvo - is very clear how his two new SUVs will cover the premium SUV market. "Polestar 3 will start at £79,000," he tells us. "£55,000 is where Polestar 4 will start. It will be a very important part of our portfolio, enabling more people to experience Polestar." Missoni describes the 4 as "a complementary design to the Polestar 3".

With its lower nose, slimmer lights, flush glazing and retractable door handles, it's another strikingly handsome design, but not without some controversy.

The polarising point is the lack of a rear window. Instead, the car relies on cameras and mirrors to give a view to the back. "It allows more second-row headroom and a more dramatic rear," Missoni told us.