The Polestar Formula 2030 concept is a giant hot hatch with wild doors

Polestar has made a giant hot hatch. Look at it! It’s over two metres wide, lower than the sleek Polestar 5, and is all chunky arches and deep-dish, body-coloured 22in wheels. We love it.

It’s called the Formula 2030 concept, and sadly it’s not scheduled for production any time soon so we don’t have any powertrain details to share, although Polestar design boss Philipp Römers did tell us it could fit on a current Geely group platform, so if the response is positive enough, you never know.

Anyway, Polestar officially describes this thing as “the physical manifestation of the Formula 2030 strategy”, but because that strategy seems to be just ‘sell more cars, make some money, emit less carbon’, essentially this wicked looking thing serves to preview the next generation of Polestars all mashed up into one car. It’s also Römers’ first concept since he took the top arty job in January 2025.

So, at the front you’re pretty much looking at the face of the next Polestar 2 that we’ll see in 2027. Spot the Dual Blade headlights and the little wing ahead of the clamshell bonnet. Meanwhile, the single central wiper looks distinctly like it might have been pinched from a Koenigsegg – very Swedish – and round the back the new light signature and some of the shapes and details will appear on the Polestar 7 in 2028. That’s the new compact crossover, remember.

Inside it’s still Scandi and minimalist, but there are proper physical buttons and switches. Hurrah! Those will also make it through to future production Polestars, although whether they will be customisable and interchangeable like they are on the Formula 2030 concept is unclear.

Here you could theoretically choose whether you want rocker switches or rotary controllers, before digitally picking what function that switch actually controls. Neat. That panel of physical buttons on the centre console then blends seamlessly into a 12.2in portrait touchscreen that can lie flat while you’re focusing on driving, or rise to display more info when the car is driving itself. Because yes, of course this concept is ‘autonomous’.

“As a performance brand, we see a renewed focus on the driver, and so we re-balance the digital and physical,” said interior design chief Juan Pablo Bernal. Not totally autonomous, then.

“We introduce physical buttons and controls, and we believe we have achieved a tactile harmony suited for our premium positioning.”

That renewed focus on the driver means the central screen is smaller, but the driver display has grown to a full 20in curved unit that’s mounted to the steering column. There’s then a nod to a yoke wheel just below which we’re not so sure about, even if it does have paddles behind it that could hint at some fake gearshifts or even just a way of adapting the regen on the move.

Of course there are plenty of sustainable materials inside, with the seat backs made from a new material that apparently combines flax and bio-based polypropylene. Oh, and all four of those seats feature Swedish Gold harnesses and inflatable bolsters and cushions to give you maximum support during sporty driving. Just remember to take your house keys out of your back pocket before you get in.

The inside of the coach doors are also fully recyclable as the cards are made from a single material, while structural parts like the seat frame and cross beam are left exposed and made from low-emission galvanised steel. In the back you’ve got a transparent boot floor with bespoke Polestar bags in two separate storage lockers, while the frunk under that long bonnet is big enough for two helmets and a fire extinguisher. The fancy inboard Öhlins dampers are also on show up there, as is lots of Bcomp’s natural alternative to carbon fibre.

Excited about the future of Polestar?