The Polestar Precept previews the brand’s next halo car
As a stand-alone electric performance brand, Polestar’s first move was to put a hand-built hybrid sports car into series production. A coupé that also happens to look a lot like the one Volvo couldn’t turn into reality, despite wowing the crowds with its concept form. Polestar filled that void, and the resulting Polestar 1 is one hell of an opening act. However, its technology will have no room in the battery-electric future Polestar is sailing towards. Hence the new Precept, a crisp four-door all-battery grand tourer full of planet-friendly materials, now set to make a splash at the Geneva Motor Show.
Polestar’s CEO Thomas Ingenlath, Volvo’s former design chief, says the Precept is “a declaration, a vision of what Polestar stands for and what makes the brand relevant.” That translates to technology and sustainability, and while Polestar may already have the best interiors in the business, because it’s 2020, this concept features Bcomp’s flax-based composites for interior panels and seatbacks, which save up to 50 percent in weight and count for an 80-percent reduction in plastic waste. To go even further, the seat surfaces have been “3D-knitted” from recycled PET, the bolsters and headrests are made from recycled cork vinyl, while the carpets are produced from reclaimed fishing nets.
While making sure you don’t miss leather, wood, and chrome anymore, Polestar has also been working with Google on creating the Android-based Human-Machine Interface (HMI) of the future. To access it, the Precept starts off with the combination of a portrait-oriented 15-inch center touch screen and a 12.5-inch driver display, all linked by an illuminated blade that encompasses the entire interior. As a cherry on top, there’s also a Polestar emblem floating holographically inside a solid piece of Swedish crystal between the rear seat headrests.
This proposed EV sits on a short 122-inch wheelbase with a large battery pack built into the floor. To extend its four-door gran turismo’s range, Polestar went for an integrated front wing that accelerates the air flow over the hood, while at the rear, there are vertical aero-wings, connected by the wide light-blade that spans the entire width of the car. This isn’t a polished Volvo concept—it’s something completely new from the electric performance brand Polestar.
Right now, the company may be busy producing 609-horsepower hybrid Polestar 1s as well as the highly-appealing Polestar 2 EVs. Mind you, Polestar is also preparing to launch its performance SUV called the Polestar 3. However, once the factory in Chengdu is done building those sleek halo hybrids, we see no reason why the Precept wouldn’t take over as a solid Swedish answer to all premium EVs yet to come. It certainly has the looks for it, along with the technology.
