SPY PICS: Polestar 5 spotted testing in Oz months before public debut 

The luxury Polestar 5 electric sedan has been photographed testing in Australia months ahead of its global launch at the Munich motor show and as much as 12 months before it goes on sale locally. 

A sleek four-door GT, the Polestar 5 will be the Swedish-Chinese EV specialist’s fastest and most expensive model, and a direct rival for the Audi e-tron GT and Porsche Taycan. 

This example has been in Australia for a few months undergoing extensive testing. Some previous images have popped up on the web from various places including Adelaide and Melbourne. 

It has also been to central Australia for heat testing and has had its advanced driver-assist systems calibrated for local conditions. 

But also, in something of a first for the brand, its dynamic capabilities on local roads are said to have been a focus. 

Ride and handling are particularly important aspects of the Polestar 5 as the company is making claims that it will be class leading. That’s a big call considering the quality of the opposition. 

A carsales reader spotted the undisguised right-hand-drive Polestar 5 resting in a car park north-west of Melbourne while its test crew took a break. Helpfully, stickers on its driver’s door identified it as a “Polestar 5 Testing vehicle”.  

At the rear it was marked as a “Prototype Vehicle”. 

The official line from Polestar is the 5 is here for “local market testing and validation”. 

Speaking at the Melbourne EV show media preview last Thursday evening, Polestar Australia CEO Scott Maynard expanded on the reasons for the car’s presence. 

“The great news with 5 is we’ve actually had a car for a couple of months now being tested in Australia,” he said. 

“So that car’s been locally tested. And that testing is just wrapping up now.  

“And so there’ll still be some work to do to make sure that car is properly sorted, chassis tune is exactly the way everyone wants it.” 

The Polestar 5 has been in the public realm since 2020 when it was previewed as the Precept concept car. 

Its production name was announced in 2021 and it appeared at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2022 and 2023, with our man John Mahoney going along for a ride.

The Munich IAA debut in September is being widely reported, but local launch timing is less clear. 

“It will absolutely be released in the first part of next year, but we don’t have a date,” Maynard said. 

And local pricing? Well, the Taycan runs from $174,500 to $416,000 in Australia and that’s about as good a guide as you can expect for the Polestar 5 at the moment. 

The Polestar 5 will be offered as both a single e-motor rear-wheel drive making at least 350kW, with a higher spec pumping that up to 400kW/700Nm. A dual e-motor all-wheel-drive flagship will make around 650kW/900Nm.

While that promises stunning performance, Polestar is also making bold claims for the 5’s new battery tech and 800-volt charging system, which it claims can add 160km of range in just five minutes without degrading battery life. 

Underpinning the Polestar 5 is a bespoke new bonded aluminium architecture, which Polestar claims delivers a supercar level of torsional stiffness and that class-leading ride and handling.  

To help deliver that, the Polestar 5 has been predominantly developed in the UK by a group of ex-Lotus and McLaren engineers rather than in Sweden or China. 

The new platform will also underpin the Polestar 6 roadster that was originally scheduled to be the next new model launch from the brand after 5. 

However, the Polestar 7 compact SUV has jumped it in the order as part of a reshuffle designed to boost brand sales and achieve profitability sooner. 

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