6 Airline Recliners and a Kitchen Is the New SUV Archetype
First off are the six airline seats and built-in kitchen of the 2024 Polestones (not Polestar) 01 SUV. This option is over the standard seven-seat arrangement. Why this hasn’t been thought of for SUVs sooner, we don’t know. Then, there is the rear-end restaurant system hiding in the back. Automakers always tout the versatility of SUVs. What could be more versatile than cooking up a meal while stranded in a highway shutdown during rush hour?
Yes, the Polestones (not Polestar) 01 is a Chinese-made SUV. But keep in mind that it is a Pininfarina design, with all of the design-y forward-think that comes with the Italian design house’s efforts. Pininfarina is responsible for both the interior design and layout, as it is the exterior. And it incorporates some slick features that we can expect to see in many future SUVs.
What is in the Polestones 01 SUV built-in kitchen?
The kitchen features a workspace with a water dispenser and an induction cooker. The cooker gets power from a 220-volt external discharge interface. Plus, there is plenty of storage for pots, pans, and serving items. It eases your camping efforts.
Opting for the seven-seat version, those passenger seats can fold down to create a kingsize bed. And three adults easily fit in the third-row seat. There is also a 270-degree car canopy with quick and easy setup and stowing.
What powers the Polestones 01 SUV?
Entertaining those passengers is easier with things like the 256-color range for the ambient lighting. The Polestones (not Polestar) Intelligent Interaction system ties in several high-def screens. And it also features a nine-inch streaming media rearview mirror.
Inside there is an LCD split screen with electric air vents on the dash. Center and front seats feature both heating and massaging. A negative-ion air purification system comes with the air conditioning.
Power for the Polestones (not Polestar) 01 comes from a 1.5T four-cylinder range extender. This enhances the electric motors combining to deliver almost 700 miles of range. And electric-only range comes to 150 miles of range.
How was Pininfarina involved?
Speaking about the overall design, Pininfarina Shanghai VP Matteo Piguzzi told CarNewsChina, “Oriental aesthetics advocate less is more. We harnessed the Chinese character ‘SHI’ throughout the design of the Polestones 01. ‘SHI’ is derived from Chinese classics: Library Theory and Practice. It is embodied in the smart and dynamic headlight design, the three-dimensional and gentle taillights, and the square and stately air-intake grille.”
About the exterior, he says, “The tough, protective exterior shell symbolizes responsibility, concealing a fiery passion beneath the sharp lines. The end result is a robust off-road SUV that aligns seamlessly with the current SUV trends.”
Yeah, it’s a lot of designer speak, but you get the point. Pininfarina and Polestones envision the 01 being a “long-range mid-size intelligent luxury SUV.” It says the 01 is a family SUV for long-distance driving. It’s for sale now in China for $48,420 for the seven-seater and $49,680 for the six-seater.
