Single motor editions site below $80k cut-off.

ONLY the dual motor flagship version of the incoming Polestar 2 will be exempt from Government’s electric car rebate, with more mainstream editions both slipping under the $80,000 cut-off.

In announcing pricing today, and citing that both the ‘standard range’ and ‘long range’ single motor front-drive versions of the five-door five seat fastback will qualify for the maximum Clean Car Discount of $8625, Polestar New Zealand has also said the least expensive car, which has a 69kWh battery (as opposed to the 78kWh unit in the other choices), can be considerably enhanced with a features-stacked primary options package and still achieve the state payout.

In factory-standard formats, the single motor editions will respectively retail for $69,900 and $78,900.

Just the $93,900 flagship, with all-wheel-drive and 300kW and 660Nm as opposed to the single motor cars’ 170/330Nm, is above the rebate limit.

The base model can be ordered with a $4650 ‘Pilot Pack’ with features that come standard to more expensive models.

This edition is seen as the primary foil to the Tesla Model 3, which also qualifies for the rebate in Standard Range Plus format. That entry edition has been a runaway success, not least in September, with it having achieved an unprecedented 1066 registrations - enough to position it as the highest volume new car. No other EV has ever sold as well.

Bruce Fowler, the brand manager for Polestar NZ, a newly-formed part of the Giltrap Group, says the single motor editions’ pricing affirms the model’s value for NZ customers.

The standard range single motor version has a 165kW/330Nm electric motor and a 69kWh battery pack.

The long-range single motor increases battery capacity to 78kWh and includes a 170 kW/330Nm powertrain. The long range dual motor variant has two electric motors and the 78kWh battery, with a total output of 300kW and 660Nm.

The base factory specification includes vegan upholstery, Android Automotive OS-powered infotainment system with Google built-in, and provision for over-the-air updates.

Pilot pack adds advanced safety and driver assistance features, such as the Pixel LED headlights with LED front fog lights, driver assistance with adaptive cruise control and pilot assist, a 360-degree surround-view camera, all-round parking sensors, and driver awareness including blind spot information system with steering support, cross-traffic alert with brake support, and rear collision warning.

Buyers can also enhance the single motor cars further with a $6000 Plus Pack.

This includes high-level premium equipment like a full-length panoramic glass roof, premium Harman Kardon audio system with 13 speakers, a higher quality vegan upholstery, Black Ash deco panels, fully-electric heated front seats with memory, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel and heated wiper nozzles.

A $9000 performance pack availing purely for the flagship and includes adjustable Öhlins dampers, Brembo brakes, forged 20-inch alloy wheels and signature ‘Swedish gold’ details inside and out.

A handful of specific single options are also available, including ventilated Nappa leather upholstery (which requires Plus Pack) across any of the three for $6800, metallic paint, 20-inch alloy wheels for $1500 and a semi-electric folding tow bar.

Polestar is owned by Volvo Cars and by extension its parent company Geely, but operates as a separate entity.

Polestar 2 sits on the same underpinning as sister company’s Volvo’s XC40 crossover, but is a larger car at almost 4.6 metres long, 1.9 metres wide and nearly 1.5 metres tall.

Next year Polestar is expected to release the 3, which shares a brand-new platform with the next-generation Volvo XC90. This SPA2 underpinning is destined for several other large Volvos. The 3 is expected to deliver with a coupe-like roof, so will be a strict five-seater, whereas the XC90 has seven seats.

Giltrap Group, which also holds rights to the distribution of the Volvo car brand, plans to adopt the same retail model already applied overseas for Polestar, with cars being purchased online but with brand representation complemented by physical retail locations known as Polestar Spaces and Polestar Destinations.

These bespoke retail environments will allow consumers to interact physically with the brand, meeting with ‘Polestar specialists’ to explore the car in more detail, including test drives. The only Space so far identified for NZ is a facility under construction in Auckland.

However, there is a tie-up with Volvo car sales agencies that will enable nationwide servicing.