New Polestar 7 is a premium SUV to challenge the Tesla Model Y
The new 7 will sit on a single-platform architecture in order to reduce costs, and our exclusive image shows what this compact SUV could look like
News broke last week of the all-new Polestar 7, a “premium compact SUV” that will complete the maker’s far-reaching electric car line-up and be built in Europe before the end of the decade. Auto Express has now spoken to CEO Michael Lohscheller about the promised small SUV and the future of Polestar.
The 7 was initially thought to be a replacement for the brand’s current entry point, the Polestar 2, but Lohscheller said this isn’t the case. “At some stage we will announce a successor [for Polestar 2]. There will be a like for like-ish replacement,” he told us, suggesting that the car will continue to target big sellers such as the Tesla Model 3 and BMW i4.
Conversely, the Polestar 7 is therefore expected to dive head-first into the hugely competitive C and D-segment electric SUV market, which is currently dominated by models such as the Tesla Model Y and Audi Q4 e-tron.
However, while the Polestar 7 will undoubtedly have its sights set on those cars, Lohscheller explained that the car will sit “between [Volvo] EX30 and EX40; this is where the heart of the market is”, suggesting that in terms of dimensions, it’s a smaller crossover variant that’s in the works. Our exclusive images preview how the new car could look.
“Actually, very few real premium companies are there; there are obviously lots of mass-market [manufacturers], but we feel this is perfect – this is a big-profit pool, this is a big-volume pool,” Lohscheller added. “I want more volume, more profit, so this product is perfect.”
The 7 will go on sale before the forthcoming 6 sports car, likely in late 2026 or early 2027. “The Polestar 6, we will move backwards because it’s really small volume,” Lohscheller explained. “While everybody loves it, I also need to make money, right?”
The newly appointed CEO suggested the 7 will bring fresh customers to Polestar, by making the marque more accessible. “The 7 has a really important role for us in terms of the size, but also as an entry into the brand,” Lohscheller said. “The [existing models] are exciting, but the starting price is also relatively high. I want to broaden that, and I think that’s where 7 could play a good role.”
His comments about the 7 being a “premium compact SUV” that sits between the EX30 and EX40 would suggest a starting price of around £40,000. Indeed, it would need to undercut the Polestar 2, which currently starts from £44,950 in base Standard Range Single Motor guise.
As mentioned, the new model will be built in Europe, complementing Polestar’s factories in the US, South Korea and China. It’s not yet clear whether the 7 will be manufactured alongside Volvo models in Sweden, or perhaps at the company’s facility in Ghent, Belgium. The company has confirmed, however, that the 7 will see Polestar move away from a multi-platform approach to “one single architecture, reducing complexity, costs, and investments”.
While specifics on this platform remain thin on the ground, the CEO told us it will have the “latest technology”. When asked whether that meant 800-volt electrics, super-fast 350kW charging and the possibility of battery sizes stretching to 100kWh or more, he simply reassured us by saying: “It’ll have the latest technology, for sure.”
Philipp Römers, the firm’s head of design, said last week: “Polestar is known for its progressive design, with each car standing out and creating its own buzz – so too will Polestar 7. It is incredibly exciting to bring Polestar’s design ethos to a new segment; 7 will be everything our customers expect from us, both in terms of design and performance.”
Building on this, Lohscheller told us he wants Römers and his team to “highlight the performance element even more, because that’s where the Polestar brand is coming from. I want to also show it in a bit more confident way; I think [Polestar] sometimes is a bit too modest, and a bit too humble”.
As such, we expect a tall but relatively streamlined shape, with coupé-like elements to the rear end, disguising a practical five-door body. The boss did also warn us to “not expect a radical change” and that the Polestar 7 would be a “continuation” of the company’s current line-up”, suggesting a family design lineage will be evident, despite the car’s cutting-edge underpinnings. A practicality-boosting closed-off rear window, like the one found on the Polestar 4, is also a possibility.
Elsewhere, Lohscheller said he expects 2025 to be the “strongest year in Polestar’s history”, despite a resolute commitment to remaining an electric vehicle-only marque. “We have three outstanding cars on the road and a growing, passionate customer base,” he said.
“We are building on the strong Polestar brand with design and performance at its core. But significant changes are needed to make this well respected progressive brand a successful and viable business.
“We are speeding up our retail expansion and commercial transformation, whilst adjusting our future model line-up and significantly reducing our cost base.”
The business is said to be targeting 30 to 35 per cent growth in annual retail sales volume by 2027, and a “positive-adjusted EBITDA” (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) in 2025.
The Polestar 2, 3 and 4 are on sale, and the 5 saloon (pictured above, right) will arrive this year. It will be based on Polestar’s “in-house developed bonded-aluminium platform” and will be its first car to use an 800-volt electrical architecture.
Lohscheller said the car, which has been part-developed in the UK, will be “the highest-priced Polestar” ever, with “nearly 900 horsepower”. It will comfortably surpass £100,000 in its fastest and most lavish specs, according to the company’s CEO.
The company will also look to challenge Tesla with its Polestar Energy home energy solution. It says it makes home charging “smarter, more efficient, and cheaper”, and can cut home top-up costs by up to 30 per cent via the Polestar Energy app. It’ll launch soon, collaborating with Octopus Energy in the UK.
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