The Wait For The Polestar 3 Electric Crossover Just Got Longer
The Polestar 3 is the brand's first crossover, and was originally expected to start production midway through 2023 and release towards the end of the year. Now, that timeline has been pushed back at least a few months, according to a press release from Polestar.
Now, the Polestar 3 is scheduled to start production in early 2024, with Polestar dealers getting them later this year. Polestar states that the reason for the delay is software-related. Volvo, the company that originally spun off Polestar, needed more time to make software tweaks on its own electric vehicle platform — which Polestar shares.
Polestar notes that the production of the Polestar 4, it's more recently announced wacky crossover, will go on without a hitch and should commence in the last quarter of 2023. With the Polestar 3 and 4 still a few months away, that leaves just the Polestar 2 as the brand's only car on sale, as the Polestar 1 had a very limited production.
Polestar's plan to pick up the slack
Polestar does have plans to compensate for the delay, however. "We are taking necessary steps to strengthen Polestar in the near-term. While production of Polestar 3 will now start in the first quarter of 2024, the successful launch of Polestar 4 last month means that we add two strong offers in the attractive electric SUV market in 2024. I am confident that we will deliver on our growth ambitions and path towards profitability," Polestar's CEO Thomas Ingenlath stated in a quarterly report.
Delays, as unfortunate and frustrating as they may be, are often par for the course with EVs. Just about every major automaker, from Tesla to Ford, has experienced significant delays when producing EVs. Usually, the batteries are to blame, as was the case with the Ford F-150 Lightning. In this instance with Polestar, software is to blame. At least Polestar has a plan ahead for how to deal with the delays and is at least somewhat transparent. The same can't always be said about another long awaited EV, the Tesla Cybertruck, which is delayed until the tail end of Q3 2023.