New Polestar 2 to lose SUV looks and embrace its sporty saloon side
A new Polestar 2 is set to arrive in 2027, and our exclusive image previews how it could look
The Polestar 2 is set for a complete reinvention in 2027 as a more sporty saloon packing plenty of performance and a new design language.
The new 2 will kick off Polestar’s second chapter, being the brand’s first replacement model and also the first shaped by CEO Michael Lohscheller and new design chief Philipp Römers.
It will tread a fine line between evolution and revolution. “The Polestar 2 is a very successful car,” said Lohscheller, previously the boss of Opel-Vauxhall. “We have [more than] 180,000 cars on the road, so I don’t think we will have a revolution. The basic role of this [new car] is to keep those customers, but of course we’re thinking about improvements [in battery tech and range].”
Don’t go thinking the next 2 will be a facsimile of the current car, though. Polestar poached new design chief Römers from the Volkswagen Group, where he designed the Audi e-tron GT and Volkswagen Golf Mk7, cars with handsome proportions.
Speaking exclusively to Auto Express, Römers said the 2’s stance is set to change dramatically. The current car is a jacked-up notchback peppered with SUV-style cladding, elements we expect to be diluted on the replacement car. We asked Römers directly if the ride height would be lower and he answered intriguingly: “The new design language, the strong evolution we are doing, it would change a few things. But today’s design is a good car, as you know.”
The teaser (below) looks closer to the ground, so we can expect a sportier saloon that’s significantly longer too, as confirmed by Lohscheller and previewed here by our exclusive image. Today’s car is just over 4.6m-long: a 100mm stretch would make it the same length as today’s BMW 3 Series.
Lohscheller said: “It will keep all the great things and add a few things that the current car didn’t address in the most optimal way – the car is a little longer. Customers told us that they would like a bit more room in the back, and that’s exactly what this car does; it’s beautiful and keeps the good things of the current one and adds things that were not optimal.”
Römers says he’s keen to accentuate horizontal design cues, which will visually lower the car. The front end will be dominated by Polestar’s ‘dual-blade’ headlamps, as well as “characterful details: no traditional grille and the Polestar 3’s bridge”. This is a raised section across the nose which pushes air onto the bonnet to improve aerodynamics.
Both Römers and Lohscheller are determined to emphasise the car’s performance. “It’s something we want to address even more and that gives me opportunity,” said Römers.
And he namechecked ‘the Beast’, Polestar’s high-performance, special edition 2 from 2022. It had 469bhp, an aggressive bodykit and lowered suspension. “This is inspiration for the future, because it looks sporty.”
The interior design will also reflect Polestar’s sporty ethos. The cockpit will be more driver-oriented, with the screen angled towards the driver. Römers will also use more vibrant colours than today’s grey-dominated shades and a warmer, more human user interface with more switches.
The new design is enabled by a box-fresh vehicle architecture. Boss Lohscheller has railed against the number of car platforms the Swedish EV-maker currently uses: “Over time, I want to harmonise architectures, because we have too many different ones.” The outgoing 2, Polestar’s SUVs and the incoming, all-aluminium 5 performance GT are all based on different vehicle platforms. That’s a luxury for any car maker, let alone one that sold only 60,000 cars in 2025.
Spurred on by its crippling losses and the strategic direction of owner Geely Holdings, Polestar is regrouping on a new platform that will feed a number of the group’s brands. Sister marques include Geely, Lotus, Lynk&Co, Volvo and Zeekr, and in autumn 2024 owner Li Shufu’s ‘Taizhou Declaration’ called for more component and powertrain sharing across the group to squeeze out unnecessary expenditure.
Lohscheller referred to the new underpinnings as “a group architecture”, noting that Volvo executives have also publicly spoken of their integration into family R&D. “We have access to probably the best EV technology in the world. How about we integrate this in a group architecture where Volvo and Geely play a key role? It’s our intention to use it [widely] over time.”
And it’s not just about hardware, as car makers embrace the shift to software-defined vehicles (SDVs) knowing that connected features and the onboard digital experience are the new automotive battleground. Lohscheller said: “You need to have [cutting-edge] software stacks and central core computing,” which is the ultrafast-processing power that enables hi-tech safety, autonomous and dynamic features.
He added: “All this can be done, but it needs to be well planned. The companies who have done it, it took them years.”
The CEO confirmed that the new platform has the flexibility to support a variety of vehicles, with different lengths, tracks and wheelbases and suitability for both high- and low-riding cars. That will enable the 2 and the 7, the midsize-SUV that will follow it to market in 2028, to use the same underpinnings. And Römers is incredibly nonchalant about the Geely group’s technological convergence.
“I’m happy that I [arrived at] a time where we want to share platforms and set our brands in clear directions to avoid a horse-race mentality,” said the head of design. “It’s the same in Volkswagen Group: they share platforms but a Volkswagen is completely different to an Audi.”
Precise technical details are still under wraps, with the 2’s premiere still around 12 months away. Unusually, the 2 launched as a front-wheel-drive car but switched to rear-wheel drive in its midlife facelift to boost efficiency. Today’s standard-range car packs 268bhp and 344 miles of range, with the flagship dual-motor variant kicking out 416bhp and sprinting from 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds. The long-range, single-motor car posts the best range, at 408 miles.
But our test Polestars have missed those WLTP figures by significantly more than a mile, and the company’s engineers will be determined to offer more real-world range, plus superior charging to the 200kW public DC charging peak. The 2’s imminent sister car, the Volvo EX60, showcases the technological progress we can expect: peak power spans 369bhp to 571bhp, and the longest-range model covers 503 miles on the WLTP cycle. With the new 2 having more space to stow batteries, expect a far superior range to the outgoing car’s.
Prices for the new electric Polestar will likely start at just less than £50,000 when UK sales begin in the summer of 2027.
Find a great deal on a new Polestar 2, 3 or 4 available from stock now through the Auto Express Buy A Car service...
