Could the Polestar 2 EV go rear-wheel drive?

The Polestar 2 electric liftback could be about to follow in the wheel tracks of the top-selling Tesla Model 3 and go rear-wheel drive.

Polestar co-parent company Volvo recently announced single-motor variants of its XC40 and C40 Recharge electric crossovers are switching from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive as part of a 2024 model year update.

As the Polestar 2 is based on the same CMA architecture as the Volvo XC40 and C40 Recharge and made in the same Chinese factory, it’s not out of the question that it, too, could switch to rear-wheel drive.

While the company would neither confirm nor deny single-motor variants of the Polestar 2 are going rear-wheel drive, CarExpert understands a 2024 model year update is on the horizon.

“Polestar and Volvo Cars are two separate companies and do not necessarily follow the same timing or specifications on product updates,” said a Polestar Australia spokesperson.

A number of rivals to the single-motor Polestar 2 are already rear-wheel drive-based, including the Tesla Model 3, Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 6, and BMW i4.

It’s unclear at this stage what the 2024 model year update to the Polestar 2 will bring, but the Volvo XC40 and C40 Recharge also received a rejigged dual-motor option, more claimed range and tweaked exterior styling.

The Polestar 2 was the fourth top-selling electric vehicle (EV) in Australia last year with 1524 examples sold. It was outsold by the Tesla Model 3 (10,877 sales), Tesla Model Y (8717 sales), and BYD Atto 3 (2113 sales).

The recently-floated Polestar as a company estimates it sold 51,500 vehicles last year, up 80 per cent year-on-year and buoyed by a sizeable fourth-quarter delivery figure of 21,000 vehicles.

It expects to increase sales to 80,000 units in 2023 as sales of its entry-level Polestar 2 grow and it records its first deliveries of the Polestar 3 SUV.

MORE: Everything Polestar 2 MORE: 2024 Volvo XC40, C40 Recharge EVs go rear-wheel drive MORE: Australia’s top-selling EVs in 2022 MORE: Geely releases 2022 sales figures, Volvo and Polestar EVs up