Polestar unveils Polestar 4, a $60k ‘SUV Coupé’ with no rear window
Polestar unveiled their upcoming Polestar 4, a small SUV which the company is calling an “SUV Coupé,” at the Shanghai Auto Show today.
The new Polestar 4 will be Polestar’s fastest car yet, capable of 0-60 in 3.8 seconds from 400kW (544hp) of motor power in dual-motor configuration. In single-motor configuration, you lose half that power (with a 0-60 time of 7.4), but get access to up to 300 miles worth of range from the 102kWh battery. Range and acceleration numbers are estimates.
On the dual motor version, the car will be able to “sleep” the front motor for greater efficiency in range mode, but will still take about a 10% range penalty, with 270 mile estimated range.
All versions have maximum 200kW DC and 22kW AC charge rate, both of which are on the high end of modern electric vehicles. This DC charge rate will bring the battery from 5-80% in 32 minutes, and 22kW AC will charge the car from zero to full in five hours – if you have access to a 100 amp circuit at home (most don’t).
The Polestar 4 will have bi-directional V2L capabilities, though Polestar hasn’t yet shared what rate the car will be able to discharge at.
The new Polestar 4 sits inbetween its predecessors, the Polestar 2 and 3, in size. It’s 2-3 inches shorter in each dimension than the 3, and 2-3 inches taller and wider than the 2 (and 10(!) inches longer). Polestar is classifying it as a “D-segment SUV Coupé” in Europe. Dimensions are 4,839mm L x 1,544mm H x 2,139mm W (191″ L x 61″ H x 82″ W) (incl. mirrors).
The nomenclature is a little weird here since it doesn’t track with the size of each vehicle, but Polestar is naming their cars sequentially – the first was the 1, the second is the 2, and so on.
Polestar has two more upcoming cars, the Polestar 5 based on its Precept concept, and the Polestar 6 Roadster based on its O₂concept. We recently got an up-close look at the Polestar 6 concept at the new Polestar Space in South Coast Plaza.
Thus far, Polestar has built its cars on platforms shared with Volvo, though the Polestar 4 diverts from that and is built on the SEA architecture from Geely. Polestar’s next cars will be built on their own architecture using bonded aluminum developed at their UK R&D facility.
This new Polestar 4 shares one interesting feature with the Polestar 5 concept: both of them have no rear window. Instead, there’s a camera for rear-view.
Polestar says that this camera enables greater rear visibility for the driver, since instead of looking through a small aperture of the rear window, the camera can offer a wide-angle view behind the car. The camera pipes video onto a screen where the rear-view mirror would normally be.
We’ve seen similar mirrors on other cars, like the Chevy Bolt, but generally they can be switched between a standard mirror and a backup camera, whereas the Polestar 4 eschews the mirror option entirely.
Polestar also says that this lack of a rear window enables “a new kind of immersive rear occupant experience.” It enables the glass roof to run further back, above the rear occupants’ heads, as Polestar can push structural components further back in the vehicle.
And the glass roof has an electrochromic option, which means it can be made transparent or opaque. Rear passengers will have control through a small screen mounted between the front seats.
As with Polestar’s other vehicles, the 4 uses its built-in Android Automotive OS with built-in Google functionality. This is more than just Android Auto, but a full in-car OS built by Google, and the car has over-the-air update functionality just like other Polestars have. But Apple users can still access Apple CarPlay in the car.
Polestar didn’t release full North American pricing details today, saying that those would come in 2024, with the car releasing later that year. It did say that the car will be somewhere in the range of $60k to start, though, if you’re looking to start saving up now.
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Compton, California, has unveiled 25 new electric school buses – the school district’s first – and 25 Tellus 180 kW DC fast chargers.
Compton Unified School District (CUSD) in southern Los Angeles County is putting 17 Thomas Built Type A and eight Thomas Built Type C electric school buses on the road this spring. In addition to working with Thomas Built, CUSD also collaborated with electrification-as-a-service provider Highland Electric Fleet, utility Southern California Edison, and school transportation provider Durham School Services.
Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Program awarded funds for the vehicles in the program’s first round. EPA also awarded CUSD funds for the third round of the program and anticipates introducing an additional 25 EV school buses in the future.
“I can’t stress enough how vital grants like these are and the need for continued support from our partners in government at the state and federal level to fund additional grants for school districts and their transportation partners that are ready to deliver and operate zero-emission buses,” said Tim Wertner, CEO of Durham School Services.
CUSD, which serves Compton and parts of the cities of Carson and Los Angeles, currently serves more than 17,000 students at 36 sites. The district has a high school graduation rate of 93% and an 88% college acceptance rate. One in 11 children in Los Angeles County have asthma, which makes the need for emissions-free school transportation that much more pressing.
Read more: Thomas Built Buses debuts its next-gen electric school bus
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After cutting lease prices by $200 this month, the Rivian R1S is now surprisingly affordable. It may even be a better deal than the new Tesla Model Y.
Rivian cuts R1S lease prices by $200 per month
Rivian’s R1S is one of the hottest electric SUVs on the market. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you’re missing out.
With some of the best deals to date, now may be the time. Rivian lowered R1S lease prices earlier this month to just $599 for 36 months, with $8,493 due at signing (30,000 miles). The offer is for the new 2025 R1S Adventure Dual Standard, which starts at $75,900.
Before the price cut, the R1S was listed at $799 per month, with $8,694 due at signing. The electric SUV now has the same lease price as the R1T, despite costing $6,000 more.
The 2025 R1T Dual Motor starts at $69,900, essentially making it a free $6,000 upgrade. At that price, you may even want to consider it over the new Tesla Model Y.
Tesla’s new Model Y Launch Series arrived with lease prices of $699 for 36 months. With $4,393 due at signing, the effective rate is $821 per month, or just $13 less than the R1S at $834. However, the 2025 R1S costs nearly $15,000 more, with the Model Y Launch Series price at $59,990.
Rivian is also offering an “All-Electric Upgrade Offer” of up to $6,000 for those looking to trade-in their gas-powered car, but base models are not included.
| Starting Price | Range (EPA-est.) |
|
| 2025 Rivian R1S Dual Standard | $75,900 | 270 miles |
| 2026 Tesla Model Y Launch Series | $59,990 | 327 miles |
To take advantage of the Rivian R1S lease deal, you must order it before March 15 and take delivery on or before March 31, 2025.
The 2025 Rivian R1S Dual Standard Motor has an EPA-estimated range of up to 270 miles. Tesla’s new Model Y Launch Series gets up to 327 miles.
Which electric SUV would you choose? Rivian’s R1S or the new Tesla Model Y? If you’re ready to check them out for yourself, you can use our links below to find deals on the Rivian R1S and Tesla Model Y in your area.
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Tesla says it can deliver new orders for the refreshed Model Y within two weeks in China. Is the automaker already experiencing a demand problem with the new Model Y?
Last month, Tesla launched the new Model Y in China. The vehicle features an updated design and new features that bring it closer to the recently refreshed Model 3.
Tesla has now started delivering the Long Range AWD updated Model Y in China this week.
But along with the start of deliveries, Tesla also opened orders for the non-Launch edition and the Standard Range RWD:
There were rumors coming from China that Tesla managed to get hundreds of thousands of orders for the new Model Y, which is not impossible since it would be just a few months of production for the best-selling EVs, but now Tesla’s updated configurator raised questions about these rumors.
Tesla says it can deliver a new Model Y RWD order placed today in “2 to 4 weeks” in China.
The Long Range AWD Model Y takes a bit longer at “6-10 weeks” for new orders.
Based on insurance data, Tesla’s deliveries in 2025 are currently down about 7,000 units compared to the same period last year.
Electrek’s Take
There’s no doubt that the Model Y changeover is going to hurt Tesla in Q1. The question is, by how much?
I am surprised to see that you can place an order right now and get on in just 2-4 weeks. It does point to soft demand for the RWD version, at least.
It’s going to be interesting to track deliveries through March. Tesla will need to deliver over 50,000 vehicles next month to arrive at similar levels as it did last year.
It looks like the production ramp is going well, so demand might be the bigger factor.
As for the Model 3, Tesla is already pulling all the demand levers in order for the sedan to contribute, but everything points to the new Model Y being the different maker.
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