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The forthcoming Polestar 7, the brand’s first mass-market model, is set to be a far bigger seller than any of its current line-up but will retain the premium billing and dynamic credentials of those cars.

The Europe-made, Europe-focused crossover is being primed as the catalyst behind a significant growth in sales for the Swedish car maker.

Polestar has not yet said whether it will use its own architecture for the 7 or adapt a platform from the wider Geely group, as it has done with each of its current models. Either way, CEO Michael Lohscheller was keen to emphasise the firm’s commitment to ensuring the new 7 looks, drives and feels like an authentic Polestar.

Asked if he had any concerns about a more mainstream model diluting Polestar’s premium positioning, Lohscheller said: “No, because we’ll make sure we get the Polestar DNA right into it. That’s the key task of our R&D teams: to make sure that Polestar DNA, in terms of chassis tuning, behaviour, look and feel, comes in, and it behaves totally like a Polestar.”

Citing the stark differences between the Polestar 3 and the closely related Volvo EX90 as an example of how two cars that share a platform can still be obviously differentiated models, Lohscheller said: “If you take the Polestar 3 and the EX90, I would argue it’s executed very well. The Volvo is comfort and safety, nice and easy for the commute; the Polestar is a performance car – you feel it in how it drives. The suspension is different, the chassis tuning is different.”

The comparison suggests that while the Polestar 7 might be similar in size and closely related to sibling models from Volvo, Zeekr or Lotus, for example, it will be engineered to have a markedly distinct dynamic character that’s in line with Polestar’s sporting billing.

The 7 will also be distinguished by an evolved design language that Lohscheller says will be rolled out to all Polestar models to make them “more confident” and better show off their performance potential.

“Design is of the highest importance,” he added. “[The 7] needs to have a very compelling design, obviously in the Polestar style. Maybe a bit more confidence going forward, and the performance element is also super important.”

Lohscheller also said a defining tenet of this new treatment – as being defined by new head of design Philipp Römers – will be making the cars “less minimalistic”. But he stressed that the brand will not seek to completely overhaul its styling cues, so the 7 will be recognisable as a sibling of the 2, 3 and 4.

“I wouldn’t say different,” Lohscheller said of the new look. “Design is always evolving. It will develop, especially with a new head of design, but I would say we’ll keep the basics in terms of Scandinavian design, but I want to have a bit more confidence.”

Lohscheller stopped short of confirming whether this new design approach means the Polestar lineup will be available in a broader and brighter spread of colour options than those currently offered.

Polestar has already announced the 7 will be built in Europe; Lohscheller said a precise location will be confirmed in the coming weeks. Volvo’s Ghent factory in Belgium is one candidate, but that will soon be supplemented by a new Volvo plant in Slovakia, which could also accommodate some Polestar production.

Genesis is ramping up to launch a new electric luxury SUV to rival the Range Rover EV and Volvo EX90. 

The GV90 is effectively Genesis’s take on the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9, sharing its fundamental platform and innards with those family-focused seven-seaters, but applying a premium sheen. 

As prototypes hit the Nürburgring in preparation for a 2026 launch, it is clear just how loyal the GV90 remains to the design of the imposing Neolun concept Genesis revealed last year. 

Naturally, the reverse-opening rear doors are unlikely to make it to showrooms (as are the hardwood floor, rotating front seats and enormous pop-out infotainment screen), but the Neolun’s imposing, monolithic silhouette will remain unaltered, along with the distinctive twin wraparound LED light bars at each end - a Genesis hallmark. 

Given it will be closely related to the EV9 and Ioniq 9, the GV90 is highly likely to also be offered with three rows of seats, though in keeping with Genesis’s premium billing, it will probably come exclusively with the roomier six-seat arrangement, with a rotating middle row to facilitate a more social layout. 

Genesis has yet to confirm any details about the GV90, but the fact that it’s testing at the ’Ring suggests it is planning to launch the flagship in Europe, where it will be one of the largest electric cars on sale, broadly matching its platform-mates at just over five metres long and nearly two metres wide.

It will effectively serve as an electric replacement for the short-lived, ICE-powered GV80, which was on sale in the UK only for three years before being pulled from showrooms, having sold around 200 examples. 

Allowing for slight variations in power output and efficiency figures, the GV90’s specification is expected to roughly match the Kia and Hyundai. The Kia has a 95kWh battery that’s good for a maximum of 349 miles of range in the most efficient variant, while the Hyundai’s larger 110kWh pack bumps that up to 385 miles.

Both of those cars offer the choice between rear- and all-wheel-drive powertrains, topping out at 501bhp in the recently revealed Kia EV9 GT – which could provide the basis for a performance-focused version of the GV90 under Genesis’s new sporting brand Magma. 

Irrespective of battery capacity and power, the GV90 will be officially capable of charging at speeds of up to 350kW.

Further details of Genesis's plans for the GV90 will be revealed as the market launch approaches, but naturally it will command a premium over its more mainstream-focused cousins.