Polestar 2 price lowered to help buyers claim incentives

Volvo-owned Polestar has made the Polestar 2 a little bit cheaper to ensure buyers in key markets are eligible to claim state and federal incentives. The electric sedan now starts slightly under the $60,000 threshold.

New York and California (America’s two biggest electric car markets) recently tweaked their respective incentive program to steer buyers towards more affordable models. In the Empire State, motorists who spend over $60,000 on an EV are only eligible to claim a $500 incentive. That number falls to zero in the Golden State. These policies created a problem for Polestar because the Launch Edition version of the 2 was originally priced at $63,000.

Pricing now starts at $59,900. Polestar estimates qualifying customers in New York and California will be able to claim about $2,000. This sum gets added to the $7,500 rebate awarded by the federal government, which brings the 2’s price down to $50,400. More affordable variants will join the line-up a little bit later in the production run. 

Polestar also published pricing information for the 2’s main options. Metallic paint and 20-inch alloy wheels each cost $1,200, leather upholstery is a $4,000 option, and the Performance Pack (which bundles equipment that improves handling) will set buyers back by $5,000. We’re surprised by the high cost of adding leather. Buyers configuring an entry-level Mercedes-Benz C-Class can add it for merely $1,620, BMW charges 3 Series buyers $1,450 for it, while those shopping for an Audi A4 get it for free regardless of the trim level they select.

There are no changes to the powertrain, which consists of two motors (one per axle) that draw power from a 78-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. They deliver 408 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque while allowing the fastback to tow up to 3,300 pounds. Its maximum driving range hasn’t been published by the EPA yet.

Built in Chengdu, China, the Polestar 2 will begin arriving in the United States in summer 2020. Motorists can reserve one on the company’s official website, or wait for it to open showrooms (which it calls Polestar Spaces) later in the year. The first stores will open on the west coast and in New York before the end of summer.

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