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AAP
AAP
Business
Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson

Futuristic convertible to convert drivers

A man looks at Polestar's electric roadster concept vehicle on show in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. (Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

At first glance, the sleek, angular convertible looks like a car ripped from the future.

But one of Australia's biggest electric car makers, Polestar, wants motorists to know that this green machine is from a not-so-distant future, with plans to put it into production in 2026.

The company is currently showing off its concept roadster, known as the Polestar 0 Project, around Australia, in a roadshow that stops in Brisbane until November 24 and in Sydney from November 28.

And while it won't be the first electric roadster to hit the streets, it could be the most eco-friendly.

Polestar Australia chief executive Samantha Johnson said the vehicle was designed to be a "guiding light" for the industry as a carbon-neutral project.

"It can be a gorgeous-looking car and it can be very sustainable as well," she said.

"It's really an inspiration that this is what we want from a sustainability perspective, and also performance and innovation."

Ms Johnson said the Polestar convertible was designed to feature bonded aluminium and interiors made from flax, as well as recycled bottles in the seats, and recycled fishing nets to make car mats.

She said each of the products would also be labelled, so it could be recycled at the end of its life.

And while the vehicle was originally designed as a "climate-neutral production car", the company recently announced it would manufacture the car as the Polestar 6 and make it available from 2026.

The first 500 vehicles have already sold, despite being more than four years from delivery, with some buyers located in Australia.

Ms Johnson said she hoped other car makers would take the challenge to develop their own sustainable vehicles.

"We can't do it on our own,'' she said.

"We need the industry to come with us on the journey.

"One car company recently brought forward their plans, and we hope that's because we had an influence on what they're doing.

"Electrification is only part of the story. It's about sustainability built into the design of the vehicle."

Other electric sports cars on the market include the Tesla Roadster, the Porsche Taycan and the Audi RS E-Tron GT.

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