This luxury SUV’s boxy design might trick you into believing that it’s a customized version of the hugely popular Land Rover Defender or even the new Toyota Land Cruiser, but it’s not. What you’re looking at is the flagship hybrid SUV model of a new Chinese startup called Polestones Automobiles, which happens to be the EV arm of Rox Motor. And it has been designed by none other than the celebrated design house Pininfarina, which explains why the luxury looks quite good. Called the Polestones 01 (not to be confused with the Polestar 1), it is described by its makers as a luxurious mid-size intelligent family SUV designed to function as a tough off-roader as well as a camper van.
According to Pininfarina, the Polestones 01 study into the future of auto design. The Italian design house claims it was involved in the interior and exterior design from the concept stage to the final product. The tough, protective exterior shell symbolizes responsibility, concealing a fiery passion beneath the sharp lines,” said Matteo Piguzzi, Vice President of Design at Pininfarina Shanghai. “The end result is a robust off-road SUV that aligns seamlessly with the current SUV trends.”
The recreational SUV is an all-in-one solution for families looking to enjoy adventure-filled road trips without skimping on luxury amenities. The Polestones 01 comes in two configurations and three total trims: a luxury six-seater offered in two trim levels and a seven-seater in one trim. The two back rows in the seven-seater configuration can fold down and convert into a very spacious bed that can accommodate up to three adults. As for the six-seater variant, the luxury SUV is fitted with airline-style premium seats for the ultimate ride experience.
Other luxurious cabin features and amenities include ventilation, heating, and massage functions for the front seat and only heating and massage for the rear ones. The Polestones 01 also gets an LCD split screen with a kid lock feature along with a 9-inch streaming media rearview mirror, 256-color ambient lighting, an air purification system, and two options for the assisted driving system (standard and advanced).
However, the Chinese luxury SUV also packs some very intriguing features that caught our attention. The coolest of them is the “restaurant system” built into the rear swing door, which is being touted as an industry first.
It includes an induction cooker, water dispenser, storage, and workspace. Furthermore, there’s a 270-degree car canopy that takes only five minutes to erect and is meant to improve the outdoor camping experience.
The Polestones 01 is powered by a hybrid powertrain that uses a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine as part of the “range-extending power generation system.” The combustion engine acts as a generator for the CATL-supplied battery pack that has a capacity of 56 kWh. The luxury SUV has a dual-motor setup that produces 470 horsepower. The EV maker claims the SUV can travel 146 miles only on the e-motors and has a combined range of 832 miles. The Polestones 01 won’t be available for sale in the US, but it starts at the equivalent of $48,420 for the seven-seat version and $49,680 for the six-seater in China.
