Polestar sets its electric course with four new models by 2028

At a time when the automotive industry is wavering amid cooling demand for electric vehicles, Polestar appears unaffected, holding its course and refusing to stray from the path it has set.

It has just unveiled the largest product offensive in its still-young history: four new models over the next three years, all exclusively electric.

That is the formula it intends to use to further establish itself among premium brands. Although its early days were turbulent, the ‘machine’ is now finally up and running. Nor is it short of ambition. Its aim is to grow sales by double digits this year, following its best-ever year in 2025.

Against this backdrop, we spoke exclusively with Michael Lohscheller, the German executive who has led Polestar since 2024, after previous roles at Opel, Volkswagen, Mitsubishi and VinFast.

Having completed more than 120 marathons, Lohscheller has brought the energy, discipline and ambition of racing to the Swedish brand, which faces an endurance challenge of its own.

The route is set

The challenges are numerous, as the automotive industry is going through a particularly unsettled period. Yet Polestar knows precisely where it wants to go. As the saying goes, that is half the battle.

For the German executive, this clarity is Polestar’s greatest competitive advantage, particularly at a time when its direct rivals have already reassessed many of their future plans, scaling back their commitment to full electrification and reinforcing their focus on internal-combustion engines.

“We have a clear objective. We know where we want to go. And that is not true for everyone,” he told us, responding to our comparison between his passion for marathons and the race in which Polestar is competing: “We know where the start is and where the finish line is”.

“I hope we can all agree that we should eliminate emissions from the mobility and transport sector. But some of our competitors do not agree with that. I do not know what race they are running, but it is not ours,” he said.

An absolute “no” to hybrids

While some of Polestar’s rivals are stepping back from their full-electrification pledges to accommodate new hybrid models, this is where Michael Lohscheller draws an unequivocal red line:

“We are not going to make hybrids (…) you can quote me”.

“We know what we are doing: we want to produce electric cars only and we want to broaden our portfolio so that more people can access our brand,” he stressed, before directing criticism at the European Commission. The Commission recently eased 2035 emissions targets, opening the door to the continued use of internal-combustion engines, albeit under very specific conditions.

On the matter, Polestar’s boss acknowledges that the changes “are not significant”, but recalls that the issue had been discussed with policymakers “for years and years and years”, while the automotive industry “invested billions of euros in electrification”: “now people want to discuss things all over again and that is not right”.

Is Europe at risk?

Rather than simply commenting on the European Commission changing the rules mid-game, Lohscheller was keen to stress that this back-and-forth from European politicians “does not help the industry”.

We need to compete with global companies offering zero-emission mobility. I believe Europe would do better by competing than by trying to protect everyone.

“Tariffs and protectionism will never be a good path for Europe. We want to compete, we want to develop innovative ideas for consumers and we want to honour the agreements that have been made over many years,” he added.

A focus on customers

Although he accepts that Europe’s inconsistent progress towards full electrification “is not good”, Michael Lohscheller points out that every car sold is a vote of confidence in the Swedish brand’s strategy:

“We remain fully electric because our customers are voting for us. Politicians can do many things, but it is customers who vote for us. They vote for Polestar,” he told us, acknowledging the importance of the plan to expand physical locations for the brand’s growth.

It is worth remembering that, despite initially attempting to enter the market through a digital-only model, Polestar has gradually adopted a hybrid approach. Its network now exceeds 200 physical locations, almost always linked to existing Volvo sites, and the target is to expand beyond 350.

“It is essential for our customers to have a premium experience. And we believe the best way to provide that is through dealerships, where trained sales staff can explain the car and its technical differentiators, customers can take a test drive and receive a proposal,” he said.

Its biggest-ever product offensive

The strategy supporting the brand’s ambitions is built around what Lohscheller describes as the biggest product offensive in Polestar’s history: four new models by 2028.

At the top of this pyramid sits the Polestar 5, a four-door GT arriving this summer as the Swedish manufacturer’s flagship. It can be viewed as a rival to the Porsche Taycan and is already available to order in Portugal, with prices starting at €122,600.

It is a technological powerhouse with striking looks, and comes in versions offering a combined output of 650 kW (884 hp) and 1015 Nm, capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds. However, at a time when Polestar is still seeking to boost sales volumes-it recorded 60,119 vehicles sold in 2025-the focus falls on the 7, which will become the new entry point to the Polestar range.

Scheduled for launch in 2028, this C-segment SUV-equivalent to a Volvo EX40 or BMW iX1-has every chance of becoming the Swedish brand’s best-selling model. It will also be the most affordable vehicle in the line-up, a title currently held by the Polestar 2, which is also set to receive a replacement in early 2027.

The Polestar 4, which surprisingly emerged as Polestar’s best-seller, will receive a second version due to launch at the end of this year. It will be a type of crossover combining “the genes of an estate car with the versatility of an SUV”.

The Apple logic

All told, Polestar’s range has never been larger and, by 2028, it will comprise five models-or six, if the two Polestar 4 variants are counted. It will also continue to follow the same naming convention: a new model, a new number.

For Lohscheller, the logic could not be simpler: “Whenever we launch a new car, we assign it a new number. That is why the Polestar 7 was given a new designation, as the Polestar 6 has already been unveiled and will arrive a little later,” he explained, drawing a comparison that was as inevitable as it was unexpected: “Apple does the same thing”.