It’s eight months since Polestar showcased a camouflaged prototype of its Porsche Taycan-rivalling electric sedan on Lord March’s driveway outside Goodwood House.
But while we might not have seen much of the low-slung EV in the intervening months, Polestar’s development team has been busy readying it for a 2024 launch with a test program that includes the obligatory visit to a frozen Swedish lake.
Polestar is nominally Swedish, of course, but the company is owned by Volvo, which in turn is owned by Chinese giant Geely. And the Polestar 5, which is a production version of the 2020 Precept concept, will be built, not in Sweden, but in China at a brand-new facility.
This prototype caught winter testing appears more rudimentary than the Goodwood car, which featured artfully placed bits of tape to show where the lights would go. There’s none of that on this car, which looks closer to the car seen in the teaser issued prior to the model’s appearance at the Festival of Speed. It has crudely fastened body panels, hood latches, and placeholder lights.
Related: Polestar 5 Production Design Revealed In Full Thanks To Official Patent Images
Although it’s still a year from showrooms, we already know a fair bit about the four-door coupe, including the output of its top-spec bi-motor drivetrain. The fastest 5 will punch out 872 hp (884 PS / 650 kW) and 664 lb-ft (900 Nm), which while not quite a match for the Tesla Model S Plaid (1,020 hp /1,034 PS), leaves the most powerful Porsche Taycan, the 751 hp (761 PS) Turbo S, in the shade. Zero to 60 mph (97 km/h) times starting with a 2 seem likely, though Polestar is keeping the exact numbers close to its chest for now.
We also know that it will feature 800-volt charging tech and an advanced Lidar system developed with Luminar to give Level 3 autonomous driving features. Polestar had already confirmed the same Lidar for the 3 SUV, so it was entirely logical that the technology would find its way into the brand’s other cars.
Would you take a Polestar 5 over its Lotus Type 133 Envya cousin, or would you pick Porsche’s familiar, but still so desirable, Taycan?
