Polestar 2 production starts in China

Polestar 2 production has officially begun in Luqiao, China, where work is returning to normal while the rest of the world shuts down because of Covid-19.

For initial delivery into Europe, followed by China and North America, the new electric performance fastback is the first EV to be produced by the facility.

“The world is facing enormous upheaval in the face of the coronavirus pandemic,” Polestar chief executive Thomas Ingenlath says.

“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.”

Owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group and operated by Volvo Cars, the Luqiao plant is an example of how Polestar leverages the expertise of its parent companies.

“Being able to produce in Luqiao means we are able to bring Polestar 2 to market with high build and quality standards right from the beginning,” Ingenlath says.

Revealed in February 2019, Polestar 2 is available in 10 global markets contained in Europe, China and North America.

Initially available to reserve with a refundable deposit, final order books in each launch market are now being opened sequentially.

The fully electric performance fastback is available for the first year of production with 300kW power and 660Nm torque, all-wheel drive and a 78kWh battery pack allowing 470km range.

Polestar 2 is said to be the world’s first car to feature a built-in infotainment system powered by Android, featuring Google Maps, Google Assistant and the Google Play Store.

Deliveries to customers are due to begin around June 2020 on a market-by-market basis, starting in Europe and followed by China and North America.