A closer look at the Polestar 3 and 6 at the new South Coast Plaza ‘Space’
Polestar opened a new “Polestar Space” in South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA this week, and we stopped by to have a look at the upcoming Polestar 3 SUV and Polestar Roadster concept, which will become the Polestar 6.
South Coast Plaza is an upscale mall in an upscale area, so it’s not a terrible place to find customers looking for the hot new thing (when one random customer learned the 3 would cost over $80k, he responded “oh, that’s not bad”). Especially with its since it’s in California, which leads the nation in EV sales, and Orange County, which is one of the hottest EV markets in the state.
Both upcoming cars were on site for the Space’s grand opening ceremony on Thursday. Unfortunately we were not able to sit in the Roadster concept, but we got a chance to have a little time inside the Polestar 3.
But the cars are on the move, and only there for a short time – the 3 has already moved along, and the Roadster is only there until the end of Saturday. Since both are prototypes, they’ll be traveling around the country for various appearances. Keep an eye on Polestar’s events page if you want to find a place to check them out.
The Polestar 3 does maintain a similar shape and dimensions to other popular SUVs these days (it’s a few inches longer than the Model Y, but the same width and height). But as is common in electric SUVs, it feels more spacious on the inside than it would seem from the outside.
EVs have simpler packaging constraints than in gas-powered vehicles, because smaller motors take up less space. This can result in more interior space, and the Polestar 3 is certainly roomy on the inside.
At 6 feet tall, I fit with plenty of room in the back seat with the front seat pushed all the way back – and which was occupied at the time by a 6’4 passenger who was also plenty comfortable. Headroom and legroom are extensive throughout the car.
And it feels even more open with the massive glass roof which runs all the way to the back of the car with no crossbar.
The ventilated leather seats were comfortable and slick, but we only had a few minutes in a stationary car. The car will have a massage function, but we didn’t get to activate it yet. Interior options include leather (sourced in Scotland with animal welfare standards in mind, and by-products of the meat industry… an industry which is not sustainable), vinyl/polyester synthetic vegan interior, and, in a relatively new turn for the auto industry: wool. The wool sounds pretty cool, to me.
The interface is similar to that of the Polestar 2. While we didn’t do anything complex or dig very deep into it, it felt snappy in response to touch inputs. While many drivers consider touch inputs inferior to physical controls, one important part about touchscreens is that they at least respond without lag, and in our limited testing tapping around through the menus, the Polestar 3’s Google-powered interface felt good enough in that respect. Once again, the only companies getting touch interfaces right are EV startups, while the rest of the industry is outsourcing all of their infotainment to the owners’ phones.
We got a look under the hood as well, at the frunk space. It wasn’t particularly large – larger than the frunks in Kia/Hyundai/Genesis EV SUVs, but smaller than that in the Tesla Model Y. It would probably be a good place to store spare charging cables or other tools that stay in the car long-term, though there will also be rear under-floor storage in the trunk which would be useful for the same. We didn’t get to see the underfloor trunk storage on the prototype.
Both the front and rear of the car have small “wing”-like design features intended to maintain the profile of the car while increasing aerodynamic efficiency – similar to the R-Wing at the front of the Dodge Banshee concept.
These wings change the angle at which the car cuts through the air, reduce the total flat space at the front and rear of the vehicle, and channel air more smoothly along the top surfaces of the car (called “attached flow”). This all makes the car more aerodynamic by reducing the amount of disturbed air flowing off of the vehicle, while also adding some downforce by channeling air downward at the rear.
Under that front “wing” is Polestar’s sensor suite which it calls the “SmartZone”. An additional option is available which adds a LiDAR bump to the top of the car, which will enhance the car’s sensing abilities (and processing, through addition of an NVIDIA DRIVE Orin chip).
The Polestar Roadster concept is another thing entirely. While the 3 is coming out at the end of this year, the Roadster is still a concept, though slated to go into production as the Polestar 6. So things will likely change before it hits the road.
Since it’s so far out, it was a look-only, no-touch affair. So we’ll keep this part a bit shorter.
Polestar was showing the convertible in topless mode. The final vehicle will have a retractible convertible top. Retractible tops can add weight and complexity and reduce chassis rigidity, but Polestar says that its bonded aluminum chassis increases rigidity so much that this shouldn’t be an issue.
It recently opened an office in Coventry, UK, right in the middle of England’s “Motorsport Valley” where several Formula 1 teams are headquartered, to help develop the various performance aspects of the 6. Polestar says the 6 will have 884hp and 0-60 in about 3 seconds, and is going after Porsche in driving dynamics.
Polestar wants the 6 to emphasize its motorsport heritage, and to bring some performance DNA to the brand. It’s also one of the first cars the company will build on its own platform – the Polestar 2 and 3 are on platforms shared with Volvo, the 4 will be on a platform shared with Geely, and the 5 and 6 will finally branch out to Polestar’s own. This is where the aforementioned bonded aluminum chassis comes into play.
The Polestar 3 starts shipping in the US at the end of this year with a starting price of $84k, and the US-built version with optional LiDAR will hit the road in the middle of 2024. The Polestar 6 is slated for 2026 deliveries and we don’t yet have a price for the standard model, though an “LA Concept” special edition sold out the first 500 launch models in a week, with a $25k deposit and an expected price of $200k. So you can probably expect the base model’s price to have 6 numbers in it, rather than 5.
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While much of the Western world is still figuring out how to get more people on electric bikes, China just flipped a switch, and the results are staggering. Thanks to a generous nationwide trade-in program rolled out around six months ago, China has seen an explosive surge in electric bicycle sales, with over 8.47 million new e-bikes hitting the road in the first half of 2025 alone.
The program, which offers subsidies to riders who trade in their old, often outdated electric bikes for newer, safer, and more efficient models, has sparked a new e-bike sale boom in a country already dominated by e-bike travel. In major provinces like Jiangsu, Hebei, and Zhejiang, over one million new e-bikes were sold in each region in just six months. That’s a tidal wave of e-bike sales.
The incentives vary depending on location and the model being traded in, but for many consumers, the subsidies cover a substantial portion of a new e-bike’s price – enough to turn a “maybe next year” purchase into a “right now” upgrade. And these aren’t just budget bikes either. The program has driven demand for higher-quality models with better batteries, safer braking systems, and more reliable electronics, accelerating both adoption and innovation across the industry.
The move has proven successful in replacing the millions of older models with lower-quality lithium-ion batteries that had posed safety risks around the country. Instead, China has pushed for higher-quality lithium-ion batteries, a return to a newer generation of higher-performance AGM batteries, and even interesting new sodium-ion battery options.
According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, more than 8.4 million consumers have participated in the e-bike trade-in program so far, contributing to a sales increase of 643.5% year-over-year and more than doubling sales month-over-month. Meanwhile, production of new electric bicycles rose by nearly 28%, as manufacturers scrambled to meet demand. The sales boosts have already been seen in the financial reports of major industry players like NIU.
And it’s not just the big players benefiting – over 82,000 small independent e-bike dealers reported average sales increases of ¥302,000 (around US $42,000), giving a serious boost to local economies.
What’s particularly striking here is how fast this happened. The program was officially launched late last year as part of a broader effort to stimulate domestic consumption and phase out outdated vehicles and appliances. But while most analysts expected gradual growth, the e-bike sector responded much more quickly. In less than a year, the trade-in subsidies have reshaped the electric bicycle market, creating a consumer-driven boom that shows no signs of slowing.
For those of us watching from outside China, it’s hard not to wonder what might happen if other countries tried something similar. While most families in Chinese cities already own an electric bike and thus see this as an opportunity to trade it in for a newer model, Western countries like the US are still figuring out how to stimulate commuters into buying their first e-bike.
It’s too soon to know exactly how long the boom will last or whether the momentum will carry into 2026 and beyond. We’ve seen bicycle industry bubbles grow and burst before. But one thing’s clear: with the right incentives, even modest ones, it’s possible to ignite real, large-scale change. China just proved it with nearly 8.5 million new e-bikes to show for it.
And if you’re wondering what it looks like when a country takes electric micromobility seriously, this is it.
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![Day 1 of the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2025 [Gallery]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/07/54629423281_6315c46dff_k.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Today was the official start of racing at the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix 2025! There was a tremendous energy (and heat) on the ground at NCM Motorsports Park as nearly a dozen teams took to the track. Currently, as of writing, Stanford is ranked #1 in the SOV (Single-Occupant Vehicle) class with 68 registered laps. However, the fastest lap so far belongs to UC Berkeley, which clocked a 4:45 on the 3.15-mile track. That’s an average speed of just under 40 mph on nothing but solar energy. Not bad!
In the MOV (Multi-Occupant Vehicle) class, Polytechnique Montréal is narrowly ahead of Appalachian State by just 4 laps. At last year’s formula sun race, Polytechnique Montréal took first place overall in this class, and the team hopes to repeat that success. It’s still too early for prediction though, and anything can happen between now and the final day of racing on Saturday.
Congrats to the teams that made it on track today. We look forward to seeing even more out there tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some shots from today via the event’s wonderful photographer Cora Kennedy.
Stay tuned for more!
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The numbers are in and they are all bad for Tesla fans – the company sold just 5,000 Cybertruck models in Q4 of 2025, and built some 30% more “other” vehicles than it delivered. It just gets worse and worse, on today’s tension-building episode of Quick Charge!
We’ve also got day 1 coverage of the 2025 Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix, reports that the Tesla Optimus program is in chaos after its chief engineer jumps ship, and a look ahead at the fresh new Hyundai IONIQ 2 set to bow early next year, thanks to some battery specs from the Kia EV2.
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