Polestar O2 concept

The O2 took design cues from the Precept concept – which previewed the 5 – and Ingenlath said it was developed with two goals: further reinforcing the brand’s image as a “luxury sports brand” and pushing internal development.

“The energy and vision that it brings into the company definitely drives us,” said Ingenlath. “We made the Precept a reality with the Polestar 5, and that’s the result of us daring to go out with that vision.”

He added: “The propulsion of an electric drivetrain is great for a sports car. And then to do it when an open-roof concept, when everybody dreams about ‘the fresh air, the breeze, being closer to nature’ – it’s a perfect fit to have that with an electric drivetrain, and not only have fresh air when you arrive at it, but you’ll leave it for the people behind you.

“Electric propulsion is absolutely a perfect fit for a roadster, so I would love to put an exclamation mark that the future of driving an open roadster has to be electric.”

The O2, which features a fixed retracting roof, is substantially shorter than the 5, at around 4600mm long, with the wheelbase shrunk by around 400mm. This has been enabled by removing the ‘foot garage’ – a well in the skateboard chassis floor of the 5 to increase rear leg room – from the platform. Polestar claims this will allow the model to maintain huge rigidity, ensuring it offers strong handling and dynamics.