Yes, Polestar’s Abbey Road Studios is referencing the same legendary London recording house where the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and a small galaxy of musical luminaries once recorded timeless anthems.
Polestar’s latest over-the-air (OTA) update adds a full-blown sonic experience meticulously shaped by Abbey Road’s own audio engineers, and it’s exclusive to Polestar 3s fitted with the Bowers & Wilkins sound system.
Dubbed the Abbey Road Studios Mode, this update introduces four distinctive sound presets — Intimate, Open, Energised, and Expansive. Each one is a tribute to different spaces and sonic characteristics found within the studio’s hallowed halls.
Intimate simulates the warmth and proximity of sitting right beside the mixing desk. It’s like being that fly on the wall during a late-night jam session.
Open moves the stage into the live room. Here, you’re in the middle of it all, as though the band is playing around you, not to you. It’s raw and captures that elusive magic of music-in-the-making.
Energised brings the punch, inspired by the kinetic vibes of a studio mid-session. Vivid detail, vintage warmth, and that unmistakable crackle of a ‘first take’ energy.
Finally, there’s Expansive. This one’s rich in spatial depth, with cinematic clarity that practically lifts the roof off the cabin. It’s a love letter to live room ambience, tailored for goosebumps.
And if those don’t suit your mood, there’s Producer Mode, where you take the reins. You get to sculpt the sonic atmosphere yourself, altering tonal balance and space using controls inspired by Abbey Road’s own hardware and mixing traditions.
Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller doesn’t mince words: “This new Abbey Road Studios Mode takes it to another level. You’d swear you were right there in the legendary London building, not driving a performance SUV.”
And he’s not wrong. With 25 speakers, Dolby Atmos, 3D surround sound, and a 1,610-watt amplifier at its disposal, the Bowers & Wilkins setup in the Polestar 3 is already the stuff of audiophile dreams.
And for those with a thing for visual detail, each preset comes with a unique, high-definition image from Abbey Road’s archives, displayed on the Polestar’s 14.5-inch infotainment screen.
Sally Davies, Abbey Road’s MD, called it a proud milestone, noting how it marks the studio’s first foray into shaping an automotive sound experience. “The partnership continues our collaboration with Bowers & Wilkins, and extends our expansion into automotive audio,” she said.
Dan Shepherd, VP of Licensing and Partnerships at Bowers & Wilkins, echoed the sentiment: “We’ve succeeded in our aim to bring to life the distinctive characteristics of the studio experience.”
Perhaps the most remarkable thing is that this is just a free software update straight to your car. Alongside Abbey Road Studios Mode, the latest OTA update also bundles in Stolen Vehicle Tracking and a Smart Schedule for charging.
If the Polestar 3 was already a Swedish sculpture on wheels, it now sings — literally.
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