For many automakers, being banned from selling cars in the US would be a devastating blow, the sort that would see you reevaluate operations, cut back on spending, and maybe not build new concept cars. Not Polestar. The Swedish performance brand spun off from Volvo has just teased a new concept called Formula 2030, showcasing a single view of the model that will define an entire generation of Polestar design.
Aggressive Design Meets Swedish Simplicity
Polestar Formula 2030 front viewPolestar
Polestar only provided a shadowy view of the front of the concept, but it’s enough to give us a glimpse of the iterative design language that will evolve the split Thor’s hammer headlight motif that initially indicated the brand’s split from Volvo. According to Philipp Römers, Polestar’s head of design, “Polestar’s design and brand is already so strong, it was obvious we needed a bold evolution, not revolution, of what came before.”
That’s why this concept, and the design language it will inspire, “[respects] brand-defining elements like the familiar Dual Blade headlights ensuring it remains recognizably a Polestar with a strong, characterful identity.”
Notable elements of the new design include a blade-like element between the headlights reminiscent of the Lucid Air, what appears to be an air channel beneath this blade, similar to the Dodge Charger Daytona EV, and central placement of a single windshield wiper. A cutout in the roof also indicates what could be LiDAR placement for autonomous driving functionality. It’s an aggressive design, and one that would look at home on something incredibly sporty…
Where Will We See The New Design Language First?
2028 Polestar 7 TeaserPolestar
If you were thinking, “That design would look great on the Polestar 6,” the brand’s 911-rivaling sports coupe, you wouldn’t be wrong. But you would be disappointed, as the 6 has been delayed in favor of more mainstream models. And it’s on those where this new design language will appear.
The concept itself will only be shown privately to investors for now, with a full reveal later this year. Thereafter, Polestar has confirmed the design language will debut on the new Polestar 2 — planned for global launch in 2027 — and the Polestar 7, a new crossover SUV previously teased by the brand.
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CarBuzz Insights — Why This Matters
Despite both Volvo and Polestar sharing Chinese ownership, only the latter was banned from selling cars in the US. And it happened at possibly the worst time, right before the launch of the new Polestar 4 SUV. But with this new concept teaser, Polestar is proving it won’t stand still, despite the spanner that’s been thrown in the works by the US government. Instead, it’s looking forward, and finding ways to renew itself and prove that it can iterate into a second-generation automaker rather than living with the label of being spun-off only to fail. Time will tell whether this attitude pays off, but for now, we can’t wait to see what the Formula 2030 concept looks like.
