Due to arrive in Australia next year, electric vehicle newcomer Polestar has unveiled the Polestar 2 in Seattle over the weekend, the company’s first fully electric vehicle, and which will now embark on a two-month tour of major cities across North America.

A brand offshoot from Volvo’s original Polestar hybrid vehicle, the Polestar 2 will be the Swedish-Chinese carmaker’s first 100% electric vehicle, described by the company as “an avant-garde 5-door fastback, packed with distinctive design flourishes”.

Boasting a 78 kWh battery (72 kWh in China) and EFAD (electric front axle drive) and ERAD (electric rear axle drive) motors each offering 150 kW, 330 Nm of torque, the Polestar 2 will offer owners a targeted range of 500 km/275 miles.

Polestar announced earlier this year in May a deal with battery makers Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) and LG Chem to provide the batteries for the Polestar 2 over a 10-year deal.

“With these suppliers in place we have the secure knowledge that our electric performance cars will be powered by high-quality batteries that our customers can rely on,” said Polestar boss Thomas Ingenlath in a statement to the press in May.

The Polestar 2 World Tour has already crisscrossed Europe, and over the weekend landed in Seattle, the beginning of a six-city tour intended to “connect the electric performance fastback to the foundations of each city the tour will be visiting.”

The Polestar 2 roadshow will encompass “a mix of unique brand experiences” as it tours the West Coast of the United States (Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego), and as it makes two stops in Canada (Vancouver and Toronto).

Visitors to the roadshow will be able to immerse themselves in a demonstration of the first fully electric car from the Volvo Car Group, and get a hands-on play with the car’s features and interior, including the first in-car infotainment system powered by Android, which also includes Google Assistant, Google Maps, and support for electric vehicle charging and the Google Play Store.

“Anticipation for the Polestar 2 is high in North America with the bulk of the initial orders coming from this region,” said Gregor Hembrough, Head of Polestar in the Americas.

“This is the first opportunity for the general public to engage with the Polestar 2 in this part of the world, and we expect these modern cities to embrace the first 100% electric car from Polestar.”