Polestar held its innaugural Polestar Day on Thursday in Los Angeles, California, where the automaker made a number of product announcements and provided a first look at the 5 electric sedan in production guise.
The 5 is the production version of 2020’s Precept concept car and is scheduled to make its formal debut in 2024. It will likely reach U.S. showrooms the following year as a 2026 model.
The Porsche Taycan rival was shown together with the 2024 Polestar 3 mid-size SUV and 2025 Polestar 4 compact crossover, plus a concept of the planned Polestar 6 roadster. Polestar’s recently revealed Synergy supercar concept, a life-size model of the leading design of a recent design competition, was also on display.
The design of the 5 is very close to the Precept concept. There are differences, though. The 5 has lost the coach-style rear doors of the concept in favor of conventional doors. It also features conventional side mirrors instead of stalk-mounted cameras.
Polestar 5
The 5 stands out as Polestar’s first model based on an in-house developed platform. That platform is a bonded aluminum design that according to Polestar boasts better torsional rigidity than some two-door sports cars and even some supercars—which is important considering Polestar sees itself as competition for Porsche.
No new specifications were divulged, though Polestar has previously said it targets a maximum of 884 hp from a dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain. Polestar has also previously confirmed an 800-volt electrical architecture, which will enable high-speed charging. The automaker hasn’t said what battery capacity or range to expect but said during the Polestar Day event it was testing StoreDot battery cells in 5 prototypes. The cells promise to deliver 100 miles of range in five minutes of charging, using a DC fast charger.
Polestar also announced in June it plans to adopt Tesla’s propriety charging connector, known as the North American Charging Standard (NACS). Polestar said its vehicles delivered in North America will come standard with the NACS connector starting in 2025, meaning the 5 will likely have it.
Polestar 5 platform testing StoreDot batteries
Other announcements made by Polestar during Thursday’s Polestar Day included plans to build the 4 compact crossover in South Korea, as well as China. The move will enable Polestar to ship 4s to the U.S. free of tariffs, due to a free trade agreement between the U.S. and South Korea.
Polestar also announced it will use Luminar lidar for automated driver-assist features, starting with the 4 compact crossover which is earmarked to run a version of Mobileye’s Chauffeur eyes-off driver-assist feature when the feature is ready.
Polestar also said it is exploring the possibillities of bidirectional charging, including vehicle-to-grid technology that has the potential to save owners money. Polestar sister brand Volvo is also exploring the technology and recently established the new business Volvo Cars Energy to cater to the sector.
