Polestar’s Formula 2030 concept has a lidar sensor that rises from the roof when the car drives itself

Polestar’s Formula 2030 concept hides a lidar sensor in the roof that pops up when the driver wants the car to share or take over the driving. The 4,680-millimeter hatchback is the first show car from design chief Philipp Römers, and Polestar says it previews the next generation of its production cars, starting with a new Polestar 2. Carscoops covered the concept in detail on Nov. 10.

Save more, waste less: The Cool Down’s newsletter sends smart, simple changes that help you and the planet in your everyday life.

Subscribe to The Cool Down →

We may earn a commission if you sign up.

Polestar has no plans to build the concept itself, so the lidar is best read as a statement of intent about where the brand’s driver-assistance hardware is headed rather than a feature list for 2027.

The lidar that appears only when the car drives

According to Carscoops’ walkthrough, the concealed sensor sits just above the tip of the vertical windshield wiper and rises from the roof when the driver asks the car to share or take over. Auto Express describes the same unit as hidden above the windscreen and revealed once the autonomous system is engaged. The two descriptions agree on the behavior, a sensor that stays out of sight until it is needed.

The cabin changes with it. A 12.2-inch console touchscreen moves with the driving mode: in performance mode it drops into the console and the yoke-style steering wheel moves toward the driver, while in autonomous mode the wheel retreats and the screen rises for more infotainment. A curved 20-inch gauge cluster sits behind the wheel, and owners can choose rocker switches or rotary dials and assign their functions.

A hatchback with rally-car details

The Formula 2030 is shorter than a new 2027 BMW 3 Series, wider than the Polestar 5 GT and lower in height. It rides on 22-inch center-lock wheels, has a long clamshell hood with a deep center depression, and uses slim LED headlights with daytime running lights that wrap around them. Polestar says the “Dual Blade” headlight design will appear on the upcoming Polestar 2.

The rear is more theatrical. The rear doors hinge from the back with no B-pillar, and the whole tail lifts like a hatch to reveal a transparent trunk floor showing the Öhlins dampers, a nod to Group B rally cars. Carscoops notes that the rear hatch and the pillarless doors are unlikely to reach production, and its author says he would like to see the hatch productionized.

What it previews, and what Polestar says

Römers said the brand needed “a bold evolution not revolution,” and Auto Express quotes him saying that if Polestar could only make one car, this would be it. Juan Pablo Bernal, Polestar’s head of interior design, described the cabin approach as “reducing the unnecessary.”

Auto Express reports that the concept previews the face of the next-generation Polestar 2, due next year, and a front aero wing on the hood’s leading edge that is headed to the Polestar 2 and the Polestar 7 compact SUV in 2028. The Polestar 3 already has one. The concept’s underpinnings have not been disclosed, though Polestar says the 100 kWh battery from the Polestar 4 could fit within its wheelbase.

The car first surfaced in early September. TimesLIVE reported on Sept. 8 that Polestar planned to show it to investors, retailers and a select group of VIP customers at its Gothenburg headquarters, The Cube, as part of a wider 2030 strategy event, and quoted Römers calling it “a bold evolution not revolution of what came before” that showcases the future while respecting brand-defining elements such as the Dual Blade headlights.

How much of the concept survives is unsettled. Autoevolution calls the car a teaser and design manifesto and says it is unclear whether its features will carry over to the new Polestar 2 and the Polestar 7. Its own report is inconsistent on timing, giving the second-generation Polestar 2 as a 2027 car in the text while tagging a “2028 Polestar 2,” so the launch year deserves confirmation from Polestar.

A concept for markets that Polestar is still selling in

The U.S. is the missing market. Carscoops reported in June that the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security denied the clearance Polestar needed to keep selling new cars in the United States under the Connected Vehicle Rule, which restricts Chinese or Russian connectivity software and hardware. Geely, a Chinese company, holds a majority stake in Polestar, which is why the rule applies. Remaining Polestar 3 and 4 stock can still be sold until it runs out, the report says, and 94 percent of Polestar’s retail sales in the first quarter of 2026 came from outside the U.S. Michael Lohscheller, Polestar’s chief executive, said the industry is entering a new phase based on regional dynamics, and the company is focusing on Europe, where it plans to build the Polestar 7.

The roof sensor is therefore a question for the markets Polestar is still investing in. Polestar has not said whether a roof-mounted sensor that retracts on demand will survive from concept to the 2027 Polestar 2, and Carscoops lists the powertrain for the Formula 2030 itself as unstated.

This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.

Save more, waste less: Subscribe to The Cool Down →

We may earn a commission if you sign up.