2022 Polestar O2 aims to reinvent the sports car

Polestar has revealed a stunning pure electric convertible concept named O2, that’s being engineered in Warwickshire. If it gets the go ahead, it will sit alongside the Polestar 5 flagship, which itself takes inspiration from the Precept concept car.

Described as “the hero car for our brand” by Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath, the O2 has been designed to be incredibly rigid despite its openroof configuration, using a bonded aluminium platform developed in-house by Polestar’s research and development team in the UK. This brand new platform is ‘geared towards dynamic response’.

Designer Maximilian Missoni describes the O2 as Polestar’s “vision for a new era of sports cars” that mixes “the joy of open top driving with the purity of electric mobility”. The 2+2 roadster is shorter than the Precept concept, but a long wheelbase means it has short overhangs for an aggressive stance.

With a low and purposeful design, it has been honed in the wind tunnel, with integrated ducts to improve laminar air flow over the 22-inch wheels and bodywork, while the rear lights themselves act as ‘air blades’ to reduce turbulence behind the car – helping to improve its driving range. While these all sound like features that could signal the O2 is likely to make it to production, rather than remain as a flight of fancy, it does have a few more outlandish features. An autonomous drone sits behind the rear seats, which can deploy while the car is moving to ‘record the perfect driving sequence’. A special aerofoil even rises behind the rear seats, creating a pocket of calm air for the drone to take off into and follow the car at up to 56mph.

Picking up from other Polestar models, the O2 has a minimalist interior, with a 15-inch portrait infotainment display that sits proud of the centre console. Going hand-in-hand with Polestar’s race towards sustainability, all soft-touch materials use recycled polyester, simplifying the recycling process and reducing waste, as well as weight.