Polestar defends optional safety features

Volvo Group’s electric performance brand Polestar has defended its decision to make several safety features part of an option pack for its debut car in Australia.

The Polestar 2 sedan launching this week ahead of a January release has been priced from a sharp $59,900 – matching the starting cost of its targeted rival, the Tesla Model 3.

Buyers, however, are required to purchase a $5000 Pilot Pack to add features that are common on much cheaper cars – as well as all versions of the related Volvo XC40 SUV.

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These include; adaptive cruise control, auto high beam, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert. The Pilot Pack also adds the likes of 360-degree camera, Pixel LED headlights and LED cornering fog-lights.

Volvo invented the blind-spot information system, along with the three-point seatbelt, as well as several other innovations, which for decades have made the Swedish brand synonymous with automotive safety.

Polestar Australia said the company was following the brand’s global approach with the packs and argued the Polestar 2 was still equipped with a significant amount of standard safety equipment.

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“There’s a lot of safety in the Polestar vehicles. The additional [Pilot Pack] features top up that,” said Polestar Australia boss Sam Johnson.

“Some people want that, some don’t. Some just want to drive the cars themselves [without driver aids]. What we do is we give people the choice; we make these EVs accessible [in price].

“[Polestar 2] has a plethora of safety systems: there’s run-off road mitigation, oncoming lane mitigation, post-impact braking, there’s connected safety, and more.”

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Polestar Australia says comparisons should be made in an overall safety context as many of these features aren’t offered in rival electric vehicles.

In addition to systems designed to help the driver avoid collisions, mitigate the severity of a loss of vehicle control, or fall asleep at the wheel – the Polestar 2 includes eight airbags including inner side airbags for protecting the heads of front occupants in the event of a side impact, as well as speed-limit notification and whiplash protection for the front seats.

All Tesla Model 3s, as well as the new Hyundai Ioniq 5 that’s priced from $71,900, include adaptive cruise, blind-spot monitoring, lane keep and departure assistance, and auto high beam as part of their standard safety gear.

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The option packs allow the Polestar 2 to undercut its EV twin, the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric, which costs from $76,900.

Polestar 2 customers would need to purchase the $69,900 flagship Long Range Dual Motor and spend $11,000 on the two option packs to match both the electric XC40’s technical and features specification.

The pricing structure for the Polestar 2 makes the base and mid-range versions of the fastback sedan eligible for some of the best EV incentives offered by state governments.

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NSW, which offers the most generous incentives, applies a “dutiable value” limit of $68,750. Victoria has an almost identical limit of $68,740 for a $3000 rebate, though has also introduced an EV road tax.

Polestar’s extra performance focus gives it another contrast to parent company Volvo. Where the latter has imposed a maximum 180km/h speed limit on its vehicles, the Polestar 2 has no such restriction.

While the Standard Range Single Motor and Long Range Single Motor variants are limited to 160km/h purely through technical limitations, the Long Range Dual Motor model has a top speed of 205km/h.