The Electric Polestar 2 Wins Germany's Luxury Car of the Year Award
【Summary】New electric vehicle brand Polestar is holding its own with its first mass market electric vehicle the Polestar 2. The EV has reached the final round of this year’s competition and won the Luxury category in the annual German Car of the Year (GCOTY) awards.

Germany is home to some of the world's finest automakers, including Mercedes Benz, BMW, Porsche and Audi. So any automaker planning to sell its vehicles in the country face strong competition. Newcomer Polestar however, is holding its own with its first mass market electric vehicle the Polestar 2.
The company's Polestar 2 has reached the final round of this year's competition and won the Luxury category in the annual German Car of the Year (GCOTY) awards.
Polestar is the new electric performance car brand jointly owned by Volvo Car Group and Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding (Geely). The company is operated by Sweden-based Volvo Cars as a standalone performance EV brand. The Polestar brand is a strong new competitor to segment leader Tesla.
The judging panel was made up of 18 leading German automotive journalists. The group critiqued a total of 72 vehicles released since the end of 2019. The experts chose one winner in each of five categories, Compactor, Premium, Luxury, New Energy and Performance.
In the luxury category, models with a sticker price of over 50,000 euros were evaluated. The Polestar 2 was up against Tesla Model Y, BMW X6 and Land Rover Defender, but managed to convince the jury "by a large margin."
Among the judging criteria are design, driving pleasure, drivetrain, handling, quality, comfort, practicality, safety, environment, infotainment and price/performance ratio.
The Polestar 2 will now go on to the final round of voting for the title of "German Car of the Year." Last year's winner was the electric Porsche Taycan, the first electric vehicle from the German sports car manufacturer.
"It has always been our aim to bring more than just an electric alternative to the market, to develop a car that inspires customers with its design, innovation and performance," says Thomas Ingenlath, CEO of Polestar. "We are proud that the jury has recognized Polestar 2 in this way."
In the U.S., Polestar is poised to compete with Tesla with the Polestar 2. It will be more affordable than the Model S with a MSRP of $59,900, yet priced competitively with the Tesla Model 3 Performance. The EV will be available for sale in all 50 U.S. states.
The Polestar 2 is rated at more than 400 horsepower, and can go from zero to 60 mph in about five seconds. The vehicle features an all-wheel drive powertrain and 78 kWh battery pack. It is being built in China.
It's also the world's first vehicle running Google's Android Auto OS, which allows drivers to use Google's popular app such Maps without having to sync a smartphone. To display all of the available Android Automotive OS apps, the Polestar 2 comes with a 11 inch touchscreen display.
"The award proves that electric mobility is on the rise in Germany," says Alexander Lutz, Managing Director of Polestar Germany, who accepted the category award on Monday evening in the run-up to the final test drives. "The fact that we were able to prevail in this important category, especially against all the established brands, confirms what a fantastic car Polestar 2 is."
Polestar launched its first vehicle named the Polestar 1 in 2017. The Polestar 1 is a limited edition, 600 horsepower hybrid EV supercar costing $155,000. The vehicle served as a platform for the automaker to show off its innovative technology.
The jury will announce the winner of the 2021 German Car of the Year award in November.
-
Ford is Testing a New Robotic Charging Station to Assist Drivers of EVs With Disabilities
-
Ford Raises the Prices of the F-150 Lightning Electric Pickup Due to Rising Raw Material Costs
-
The BMW 7-Series to Feature HD Live Maps From HERE Technologies for Hands-Free Highway Driving in North America at Speeds up to 80 MPH
-
AutoX to Use the 'Eyeonic Vision Sensor' from California-based SiLC Technologies for its Robotaxi Fleet in China
-
LG Develops ‘Invisible’ Speaker Sound Technology That Could Revolutionize In-Vehicle Audio
-
Researchers at South Korea’s Chung-Ang University Develop a ‘Meta-Reinforcement’ Machine Learning Algorithm for Traffic Lights to Improve Vehicle Throughput
-
Zeekr’s New 009 Electric Passenger Van is the World’s First EV to Feature CATL’s Advanced ‘Qilin’ Battery With a Range of 510 Miles
-
Redwood Materials is Building an Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling Facility in South Carolina
- China Added 963,000 Electric Vehicle Charging Piles Since January in its Push to Lead the World in EV Sales
- Mazda Outlines Plans to Invest $10.6 Billion in Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Development Through 2030
- Zeekr’s New 009 Electric Passenger Van is the World’s First EV to Feature CATL’s Advanced ‘Qilin’ Battery With a Range of 510 Miles
- Electric Truck Maker Rivian Opens the First Fast Chargers in Colorado for its Nationwide ‘Adventure Network’
- Volkswagen’s Software Unit CARIAD Selects Innoviz as its Direct Lidar Supplier for the Automaker's Future Software-Defined Vehicles
- GM CEO Mary Barra Shares the First Look at the New Chevy Blazer EV Launching in Spring 2023
- Waymo Reveals its New Robotaxi Built by New Premium Electric Vehicle Brand Zeekr
- Volkswagen Group of America President and CEO is Appointed to Lead the Automaker's New Electric Off-Road Truck Division ‘Scout’
- BorgWarner Invests $500 Million in Wolfspeed Inc, a Developer of Semiconductors and Silicon Carbide Devices for Electric Vehicles
- Volvo’s Brand Polestar Confirms That the Polestar 6 Electric Roadster Will Enter Production and Launch in 2026