Despite the world economy being thrown in a standstill and many automakers closing down their production facilities for the time being, Polestar will start production of its Polestar 2 electric car this week.
Production will take place in Luqioao, China in a plant that is owned by Geely Holdings and operated by Volvo.
Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath commented:
“The world is facing enormous upheaval in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. We start production now under these challenging circumstances with a strong focus on the health and safety of our people. This is a great achievement and the result of huge efforts from the staff in the factory and the team securing the supply chain. I have a huge amount of respect for the entire team – thanks to them!”
Thankfully it seems like China’s very strict quarantining over the past two months has dramatically decreased the number of COVID-19 cases in the country and has allowed companies like Polestar to return back to operational status.
Volvo themselves have employed proactive health standards too, such as temperature screenings, a thorough disinfecting process, and masks for every worker. Measures like these have apparently stopped any cases of the virus appearing within the Chinese Polestar workforce.
The Polestar 2 will be available in ten different markets across Europe, China, and North America. Deliveries are going to start this Summer with orders initially heading out to Europe and then being followed by China and North America. So while deliveries will begin by summertime, there is no word on how long before owners in China and North America will receive theirs.
The first portion of Polestar 2 vehicles will be aptly named the “Launch Edition” and will start at $63,000. The highest variant of the Polestar 2 will come with dual motors and a 78 kWh battery pack. With 408 hp and 660 Nm of torque, the Polestar 2 will reach 62 mph in 4.7 seconds. Range will be about 292 miles (WLTP) and will come with 150 kW charging.
Will the Polestar 2 be a great alternative to the Tesla Model 3? Let me know what you think in the comments below.
