Polestar has confirmed plans to build its first performance electric roadster. With a design based closely on the O₂ concept, the Polestar 6 is expected to go into production in 2026.

“The car is a perfect combination of powerful electric performance and the thrill of fresh air with the top down,” says Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar’s CEO. He is also the Swedish marque’s creative director. Ingenlath adds that positive consumer and press responses helped the firm decide to put the convertible two-seater into production. “I am so excited to make it a reality,” he says.

Polestar 6 will be based closely on the Polestar O₂ concept shown in Los Angeles in March 2022

The Polestar O₂ was revealed in Los Angeles in March, advancing the design, technology and sustainability ambitions laid out by the 2020 Precept — a study vehicle showing the company’s vision for future sports cars. These concept cars are an exercise in shaping the marque’s design theme and exploring how it may apply to different body shapes. After all, even though Polestar is tied to parent company Volvo from a business perspective, the mission from the start has been to create a brand that holds its own, which does require building a memorable visual identity.

A distinct personality also involves building a unique driving experience that isn’t the same as Volvo. Head of design Maximilian Missoni explained his thought process when the O2 was first shown. “By mixing the joy of open-top driving with the purity of electric mobility, it unlocks a new mix of emotions in a car,” he said. “But as with all our cars, we are about more than just straight-line sprints. It’s when you turn the steering wheel that the true fun begins.”

The Polestar 6 interior will continue the clinically clean and clear design Polestar champions

All this is thanks to the bonded aluminum platform, a technology adapted from the Polestar 5, which will also guide the 6’s production. The quality and rigidity of the platform, Polestar claims, allows the driver to experience a heightened dynamic response. At the same time, handling is kept taut due to small roll angles and high roll damping, and the agile, direct steering feel is linear, with more significant steering torque build-up.

The new car will feature the high-performance, 800-volt electric architecture already confirmed for Polestar 5 to include an output of up to 650 kW (884 hp) and 900 Nm from a dual motor powertrain, a targeted zero to 62mph sprint time of just 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 155mph.

The rear of the concept car that the Polestar 6 is based on

Like the O₂, Polestar 6 will have a retractable hard-top. And it retains classic sports car proportions with a low and wide body, compact 2+2 cabin design, minimal overhangs and a long wheelbase. The shape is also designed to assist the car’s aerodynamics where possible to help maximize battery range. The integrated ducts, for instance, improve laminar airflow over the wheels and body sides, while the rear lights function as air blades to reduce turbulence behind the car.

Polestar’s brand promise is anchored on pushing towards sustainable transport. In constructing the O2, the team integrated a method of controlling recycled content to improve the circularity of metal components. For instance, the different grades of aluminum used throughout the chassis are individually labeled so they can be recycled more effectively and their properties retained.

Meanwhile, all the soft components in the interior are made of light recycled polyester, including foam, adhesive, 3D knit fibers and non-woven lamination to simplify the recycling process and help achieve circularity of materials, which is Polestar’s ultimate aim. It’s unclear if this progressive thinking will reach the Polestar 6 production car, but I suspect aspects of it will evolve to meet production standards.

Five hundred “Polestar 6 LA Concept” editions are planned to celebrate the launch. They will feature the unique Sky blue exterior, light leather interior and 21-inch wheels of the original Polestar O₂ concept.

See Bcomp’s natural fiber fabric, utilized by Polestar in its interiors, feature in the Rei icon. And read my interview with the head of Rolls-Royce exterior design here on designing the ultimate luxurious and unique transport.