Chinese-owned Polestar was banned from selling cars in the U.S. back in June, and like a scorned ex showing you what you’re missing after a breakup, it’s now revealed one of the coolest designs in recent memory: the Formula 2030 concept car. Look at what they took from us.
It’s got a low, wide, shooting brake shape. The big front door, little rear door setup is pure enthusiast bait, and the switchgear inside looks like it came straight off of professional audio equipment. The Formula 2030 isn’t just a for-show concept car, either, because Polestar says it will indeed “point towards future design direction for the brand.”
Polestar
Specifically, “various design attributes” seen here will actually show up in the next-gen Polestar 2 and upcoming Polestar 7 compact SUV. The Formula 2030 is billed as a compact four-door sports car, not really fitting neatly into any existing segment. It sits lower than the Polestar 5 grand tourer, fits between the 2 compact sedan and 7 size-wise, and is probably closest to the Polestar 4 in spirit.
Pushing all the right buttons
It already looks great at a glance, but things get way more interesting once you start opening stuff up. Both the hood and rear hatch open up clamshell-style, exposing the natural fiber composite chassis underneath and orange Öhlins dampers. The half-size rear doors are coach doors, giving the Formula no B-pillar and a huge opening when all doors are open.
Polestar
Inside, a very curved instrument screen measuring 20 inches sits on top of the steering column while a 12.2-inch center touchscreen sits in the middle. That touchscreen can physically lower when the driver switches drive modes to Performance, and raise when the car is in Autonomous. Below this screen is an array of up to eight customizable rocker switches and knobs. You can swap the specific switches or knobs out, like you can with, say, a pro-grade video game controller, and their individual functions can also be configured to your liking. All four bucket seats sit low in the cabin and get inflatable bolsters and cushions for better support.
Polestar
I’ve never really thought about how rare four-spoke wheels are, but looking at the 22s on this Polestar concept, I’m simultaneously sad that they aren’t more common but also completely understand why that’s the case. They’re definitely weird, but I also sort of dig it?
It all adds up to a funky yet beautiful design that makes us hope Polestar will return to the U.S. market by the Formula 2030’s namesake. Given the political conditions that led to its banning and how those tides are turning in this country, that scenario actually feels like a real possibility.
