New 2023 Polestar 4 readied as sleek Porsche Macan EV rival

The Polestar 4 has hit the road for the first time ahead of an anticipated launch by the end of the year, giving clues to what to expect from the EV firm’s Porsche Macan rival. 

Pictures sent to Autocar show the rakish crossover-coupé donning light camouflage for its first round of public testing, having previously only been shown under a sheet in official teasers.

The 4 is destined to fill the gap between the Polestar 2 saloon and the recently revealed Polestar 3 SUV and will be the third series-production car the brand will put on sale.

The Polestar 5 super-saloon will follow in 2024 and the drop-top Polestar 6 GT will arrive a year later to ultimately give a varied line-up of five pure-electric models.

These new shots reveal that it will sit higher off the ground than the 2 but stand shorter – and have a smaller cabin – than the 3.

Obvious rivals in the sporting electric crossover segment include the Kia EV6 GT, the new Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV and the upcoming Porsche Macan EV.

Polestar boss Thomas Inglenlath previously positioned the 4 as the SUV sibling to the 2 but suggested it would offer comparable utlity to the larger 3, saying: “This car is slightly smaller [than the 3], but we will not compromise much on the interior length. It's slightly more ground-hugging and has a bit more of a coupé type of roofline."

At that time, he also suggested it could arrive on sale with a price tag of around $55,000 (£45,000), but latest projections from the brand suggest the 4 will be priced from £49,000-£66,000, slotting it neatly between the lower-slung 2 and larger 3. 

It's due to enter production later this year in the same factory in Ningbo, China, where Polestar sibling brand Zeekr has recently started building its Zeekr 001 performance shooting brake.

The 4 is also set to share that car's PMA1 architecture, meaning it's likely to offer a choice of rear- and four-wheel drive (like the Polestar 2) and could pack as much as 536bhp in its most potent form.

The 001 can be optioned with one of the largest batteries currently available in any production EV, at 140kWh, for a claimed range of 641 miles - although that's limited to 1000 cars. The 001 is normally offered with 86kWh and 100kWh items, giving either 339 or 460 miles of claimed range, and they're likely to be offered in any technically related Polestar model. 

Polestar suggested the 4 will ultimately offer more than 600km (373 miles) of range between charges.