Polestar 5: A pure performance grand tourer debuts in Munich
Amid the hype and fanfare of a global motor show, Polestar 5's message was simple: what grand touring should look and feel like in the electric age.
Bringing our performance GT to their backyard felt like the right statement at the right time
Polestar 5 is a head-turner (here, here, and here). Refined, powerful, and futuristic, it represents the company's halo car crafted in bonded aluminium. Its reveal at IAA Mobility 2025 provided a fitting backdrop, with designers and engineers mixing effortlessly alongside car enthusiasts, industry insiders, and celebrities. But why was IAA picked for the launch, and what made it such a groundbreaking experience?
Munich was an obvious choice. "IAA was the perfect stage to showcase Polestar 5," says Michael Manske, Head of Communications and Marketing at Polestar. "Many premium German car brands are revisiting combustion technologies, but we remain focused on an all-electric future. Bringing our performance GT to their backyard felt like the right statement at the right time."
That commitment was echoed by CEO Michael Lohscheller, who used the summit to remind policymakers of the stakes. In an industry often hedging with hybrids and incrementalism, Polestar's stance was straightforward. "The EU's 2035 target to end sales of new combustion cars was a turning point. It gave clarity to industry, direction to investors, and certainty to consumers. Weakening it now would send the opposite signal: that Europe can be talked out of its own commitments. That would not only harm the climate. It would harm Europe's ability to compete."
Inside the Experience Lab
As for Polestar 5? It speaks for itself. Sleek and sculpted, its designers have leaned into aviation as the primary source of inspiration. With taut surfacing stretched over an aerodynamic wing-like profile, Polestar 5 is not so much a bridge to the future as a complete break from the past. Inside, the same vision continues. The cabin is stripped back yet rich in detail. It's all clean surfaces and innovative materials. Beneath it all, the engineering choices matter. Developing an aluminium platform in-house is not innovation for its own sake, but a rethink of weight, efficiency, and performance at the most fundamental level. Sustainability, in other words, is built into the bones.
In the heart of Munich, Polestar opened the doors to its Experience Lab. Blending installation with immersion, the lab played with light, sound, and scent, inviting visitors to experience the future rather than merely observe it. Stripped back and minimalist, the space stood in sharp contrast to the traditional motor show outside. And, at its core: Polestar 5.
So, what does the future of performance look like? For those at IAA Mobility in Munich, the answer perhaps became a little clearer. Beneath the lights of the world's press, an all-electric four-door performance GT. Evidence that performance and sustainability no longer pull in opposite directions. They belong together.
Learn more about Polestar 5.
