Electric car maker Polestar has been quietly winning fans with its , launched in 2020. Now, the firm is preparing to release its first SUV, .

Imaginatively named the Polestar 3, the new SUV will debut in October 2022. as it marks its first foray “into one of the highest margin and growth segments in the automotive industry.”

When it premieres, the Polestar 3 will pack a dual-motor drivetrain and a large battery, with a range target of more than 372 miles. , with ambitions to offer autonomous highway piloting powered by LiDAR sensors “over time.”

With the launch of the 3, Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath says the brand’s “design identity evolves.” And I can kind of see what he means. The minimalist angles of the 2 have been enhanced with a curving roof line and hood.

Up front, there are the same airflow vents in the leading edge of the hood that the car as well as the Precept, which was developed to . So I guess that tracks.

Other than the design flourishes you can see for yourselves, and those stats about range targets, should be capable of.

But we do know that we’ll have to wait just a few more months to find out more: Polestar will announce the rest of the specs on its first SUV in October 2022. The new car will then start rolling off production lines in China and the U.S. in early 2023.

That will be a vital moment for Polestar, as it has repeatedly alluded to the importance of its first electric SUV in its plans for the future. And this is a sentiment Ingenlath repeated today: “This is a major milestone for our company, one that boosts our growth trajectory and takes us into our next phase,” the executive said in the release announcing the new model.

And what is that next phase? Well, , growth in product range and growth in availability.

Starting with the Polestar 3, the firm plans to . It hopes to increase its presence to at least 30 global markets by the end of 2023 and plans to grow global sales from 29,000 in 2021 to 290,000 by the end of 2025.

Is the Polestar 3 the spark that can light the fuse to this global domination? We’ll find out in October.