Could the Polestar 2 EV go rear-wheel drive?

The electric liftback Polestar 2 could soon step into the tire tracks of the best-selling Tesla Model 3 and switch to rear-wheel drive.

Polestar co-parent company Volvo recently announced that the single-engine variants of its XC40 and C40 Recharge electric crossovers will switch from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive as part of a 2024 model year refresh.

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

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While the company would neither confirm nor deny that single-engine variants of the Polestar 2 will feature rear-wheel drive, CarExpert believes a 2024 model year refresh is on the horizon.

“Polestar and Volvo Cars are two separate companies and do not necessarily follow the same schedule or specifications when it comes to product updates,” said a spokesman for Polestar Australia.

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

As of this writing, it’s unclear what the 2024 model year update will bring to the Polestar 2, but the Volvo XC40 and C40 Recharge also received a refocused dual engine option, increased claimed range and a streamlined exterior design.

The Polestar 2 was the fourth best-selling electric vehicle (EV) in Australia last year with 1,524 units sold. It was surpassed by Tesla Model 3 (10,877 sales), Tesla Model Y (8717 sales) and BYD Atto 3 (2113 sales).

Recently IPOed Polestar estimates it sold 51,500 vehicles last year, up 80 percent year-on-year and supported by a whopping 21,000 vehicles delivered in the fourth quarter.

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

MORE: All Polestar 2MORE: 2024 Volvo XC40, C40 Recharge rear-wheel drive EVsMORE: Australia’s top-selling EVs in 2022MORE: Geely releases 2022 sales numbers, Volvo and Polestar EVs rising