Buttons are back for this brand

Polestar is set to buck the trend of buttonless minimalist interior design with its next-generation models.

The Geely Group-owned Swedish carmaker has sold itself as a design-led brand from the getgo, with the Polestar 2, 3 and 4, as well as the recently revealed Polestar 5 showcasing a clean, Scandinavian look.

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But, according to Polestar’s recently installed Head of Design, Philipp Römers, expect the next-gen models to usher in the return of physical buttons and dials as the brand shifts from a ‘rational’ approach to something more ‘emotional’.

“I think that's something worldwide. It's kind of a learning from the last years, and especially when it comes to performance, I think there are drivers who want to use still some manual buttons and stuff like this,” he told Australian journalists last month.

“And we always talk about a perfect balance. Obviously, we will never go back again to fully analogue. Now, you have to use the technology in a very smart way, but we are talking about a car and about a driver-focused car, so we have to find the right balance.”

Römers detailed other changes coming to the interior of future Polestar models, like a change from equal to driver orientation for dash and instrumentation, and a shift from monochrome to polychrome for colour, materials and finish (CMF).

“But again, in the Polestar way, you know, also maybe reflecting a little bit the Swedish roots. And when it comes to UI, UX, we will come from this rational, quite functional take to a more emotional take in the future.”

When it comes to exterior design, Römers said he would build on the current look but play with some of the elements.

“Talking about exterior, we have a very strong light signature in the front, the so-called dual blade, which is kind of a representative for a grille, you know, we don't have a grille. At the same time, for example, Polestar 3 has this [bonnet] bridge topic, which showcases really airflow and stuff like this. And we have some ideas to combine both, you know. And this will give, in the future, the new Polestar face.”

He added that this theme of ‘performance’ will also change the shape and silhouette for future Polestar models, shifting from a vertical look to more horizontal.

“Of course, the face is one thing, how to develop it, but the overall car will be a bit more horizontal, and will have more dynamic approach in order to really visualise the topic of performance”

Römers said one of Polestar’s strengths is the consistency of its design language and the clear link to sustainability. But he said there is an opportunity to further differentiate Polestar from its Swedish sister brand.

“The cars are driving fantastic, and I think there's still room to showcase this even more also in order to make kind of a separation from Volvo, for example. They are also Scandinavian, they're also pure, but in a completely different way to Polestar, you know. And that's why this topic of performance gives the team the chance to evolve the design language.”

The Polestar 2 started life as the Volvo Concept 40.1 back in 2016, but then Geely Group spun Polestar off as a standalone brand and used the concept as the basis for its first model.

Speaking of concepts, Römers said there was no temptation to change the design of the Polestar 5 four-door grand tourer from the Precept concept that spawned it back in 2020.

“I think that was the idea, basically, to put the show car into production. I mean, that's the best thing for customers, to buy a show car. And I would say that you don't spot the difference. You know, it's almost 95 per cent of the show car is now going to the onto the road, right? So it's like, they brought the show car to production.”