Currently reading: Polestar 7 confirmed as Europe-built, Evoque-rivalling SUV

Swedish firm targets significant sales growth with expanded line-up led by crucial new electric SUV

The new Polestar 7 will be a Range Rover Evoque-sized premium SUV and the firm’s first model produced in Europe.

The Swedish firm has confirmed early details of the new EV as part of a revised strategy, which includes a target to grow sales by 30-35% in the coming three years.

The forthcoming 7, previously announced as due in 2027, will essentially serve as a successor to the Polestar 2 liftback, although it won't be a direct replacement, with this announcement hinting it will take more of an overtly SUV-like form.

Polestar boss Michael Lohscheller said that the model would sit in the "biggest and fastest growing" market segment for electric cars, making it a key model in the firm's new growth strategy.

Its new head of design, Philipp Römers, said: “Polestar is known for its progressive design, with each car standing out and creating its own buzz. So too will [the] Polestar 7.”

He added that the new model will be “everything our customers expect from us, both in terms of design and performance”.

Römers said that "every Polestar has a USP" and said that the 7 would have its own strong unique element but declined to give any details.

Polestar has yet to give details on where in Europe the 7 will be produced, but it's known to have been looking at an under-construction Geely plant in Slovakia.

Polestar's profitability target

Former Opel boss Lohscheller was recently named as Polestar's new CEO after Thomas Ingenlath resigned last August after seven years in charge of the Geely-owned brand.

He has now revealed an updated business strategy that involves "significant changes" to improve the firm's operations and financial performance.

Lochscheller said that 2024 had been a transition year for the brand, but he argued that it had strong foundations with "the right cars" in its model line-up, and the focus now was on trying to improve on sales and distribution and also cost-reduction.

The new 3 and 4 EVs accounted for more than half of Polestar's orders in the final quarter of last year, and the firm's line-up will continue to expand with the launch of the Porsche Taycan-rivalling 5 GT due this year.

Lochscheller described the UK-developed 5 as an "amazing sports car". It will be followed at some stage by the 6, a limited-run 2+2 roadster.

Polestar said that plus the arrival of the 7 will help achieve its ambitious plans to boost sales volume by around a third.

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Former boss Ingenlath said the 7 was due to arrive in 2027, but Lochscheller gave no details on its intended launch date during his presentation.

Polestar is also aiming to have a positive free cash flow by 2027.

Notably, Polestar will eventually move all of its models onto a single vehicle architecture, which it says will reduce "complexity, costs and investments".

It's unclear whether Polestar will develop a bespoke new platform or use existing platforms. The 2 uses Geely and Volvo's CMA platform (also used by the Volvo EX40), the 3 shares the SPA2 platform with the Volvo EX90 and the 4 uses a version of Geely's SEA architecture. The 5 and 6 are also tipped to use variants of the highly flexible SEA, suggesting it's the most likely candidate to be the focus of Polestar's future line-up.

Lohscheller said: "We are building on the strong Polestar brand with design and performance at its core – but significant changes are needed to make this well-respected progressive brand a successful and viable business."

The firm is also speeding up its retail expansion, with the goal to increase its number of showrooms ('Spaces') by 75% by the end of next year, expanding to 130 locations in Europe and 57 in North America. Lochscheller said that Polestar's emphasis will also shift from a 'storytelling' to help customers learn about the brand to active selling.

Polestar is also set to start selling cars in France, where its launch was delayed by a dispute with Citroën over its logo design.

Adding a European manufacturing presence will also help Polestar to expand the base of its 'asset-light' business model. Originally it made cars exclusively in China, but the 3 is now built alongside the Volvo EX90 in the US and the firm has a production presence in South Korea. 

Polestar is also aiming to capitalise on its EV-only line-up by selling CO2 credits to other manufacturers that are striuggling to hit their European Union emissions targets – a tactic that has proven highly profitable for EV-only firms such as Tesla. Lochscheller said that he anticipated that to be worth "triple digit millions" in revenue.

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James Attwood

James Attwood, digital editor
Title: Acting magazine editor

James is Autocar’s associate editor, and has more than 20 years of experience of working in automotive and motorsport journalism. He has been in his current role since September 2024, and helps lead Autocar's features and new sections, while regularly interviewing some of the biggest names in the industry. Oh, and he once helps make Volkswagen currywurst. Really.

Before first joining Autocar in 2017, James spent more than a decade in motorsport journalist, working on Autosport, autosport.com, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, covering everything from club rallying to top-level international events. He also spent 18 months running Move Electric, Haymarket's e-mobility title, where he developed knowledge of the e-bike and e-scooter markets. 

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Cobnapint 16 January 2025
Evoque rivalling...? That's put the mockers on it already.
Peter Cavellini 16 January 2025

If they're EV powered they will weigh two tons plus,and like any other mode of transport they're driven by various shades of numpty who is hell bent on showing you how fast it is,as for price, i didn't realise infla had gone down and wages had gone up.

Marc 16 January 2025
Let me guess... Another 2.4 tonne 0-60 in who gives a shit seconds, 100k EV?

Polestar - show me a 25-35k model with sensible equipment and performance, capable of a real work 4 miles per kwh and 250 mile range and I'll show some interest.

Bob Cat Brian 16 January 2025
Marc wrote:

Let me guess... Another 2.4 tonne 0-60 in who gives a shit seconds, 100k EV? Polestar - show me a 25-35k model with sensible equipment and performance, capable of a real work 4 miles per kwh and 250 mile range and I'll show some interest.

More like £50k if its the 2 replacement.

Im not sure if Polestar and Volvo are now sister companies or pretending to be completely separate, but the EX30 fits your criteria

Marc 16 January 2025
Tried it, it was too expensive on personal contract hire and a bit crap.