Vivaldi browser teams up with Swedish premium electric car company, Polestar, to give drivers a powerful web browser experience in Polestar 2.
The Vivaldi web browser arrives in Polestar 2, from the pure play, premium electric car company, Polestar. It is the first browser available for Android Automotive OS and one of the first full featured browsers available in cars. Answering one of the top desires from Polestar owners, the inclusion of a full-scale web browser in the car allows people to browse the web as they might on their mobile devices.
Vivaldi aims to create new experiences at work, at home, and now even in cars. Vivaldi’s step into the automotive world is not only adventurous, but also encourages the spirit of innovation and experimentation. An important milestone in the browser space, Vivaldi’s attributes help improve the driving and user experiences. Polestar drivers can simply go to Google Play Store in Polestar 2 and install the browser.
“We are really proud to introduce our browser to a car for the first time and specifically with a brand like Polestar. Our technological and sustainability ambitions are well aligned. We value transparency, privacy, and responsible innovation – including the fact that we have our servers in Iceland, one of Polestar’s newest markets. Like Polestar, we are a challenger brand, and we take a Scandinavian approach to design, that is based on trust and listening to our users,” says Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner, CEO at Vivaldi.
Developed for Polestar 2 by the Vivaldi team in Norway, the app brings full browser functionality to the 11-inch center display with Android Automotive OS in the car and functions similarly to how it would on a mobile device – with tabbed browsing, streaming ability, online shopping and top security measures. The Vivaldi browser is built around flexibility and features a built-in ad blocker, privacy-friendly translation tool, notes function, tracking protection, and encrypted sync functionality.
Vivaldi: In the driver’s seat.
- Safety first: To ensure safety, the browser can only be used when parked. Streaming content will continue audio-only if driving commences. Some restrictions may apply, for example, files cannot be downloaded.
- Privacy first: Private browsing data is not stored by the car. When logged into a Vivaldi account, browsing data may be shared between other devices logged into the same account. This data is not shared with Polestar.
We have listened to our owner community, and it’s great that we could answer their desire for a browser with Vivaldi as a nice Christmas present,” says Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO. “Now there is basically no limit to the web content you can explore in Polestar 2 – even some of your favorite streaming platforms.”
The Vivaldi browser for Polestar 2 is now available in all European, North American, and Asia Pacific markets. Vivaldi for Android Automotive OS will receive regular updates alongside its other supported platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android).
Vivaldi, launched in 2016, is a flexible, fully customizable browser that adapts to its users and offers more features than any other modern browser.
Vivaldi’s core mission is to build the most feature-packed, customizable browser, and they have two ground rules: privacy is a default, and everything’s an option. In practice, this means building software that protects users’ privacy, but also does not track how they use it. Vivaldi believes private and secure software should be the rule, not the exception.
About Polestar
Polestar was established as a new, standalone Swedish premium electric vehicle manufacturer in 2017. Founded by Volvo Cars and Geely Holding, Polestar enjoys specific technological and engineering synergies with Volvo Cars and benefits from significant economies of scale as a result.
Polestar is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, and its vehicles are currently available and on the road in markets across Europe, North America, China and Asia Pacific. By 2023, the company plans to be present in 30 global markets. Polestar cars are currently manufactured in two facilities in China, with additional future manufacturing planned in the USA.
Polestar has produced two electric performance cars. The Polestar 1 was built between 2019 and 2021 as a low-volume electric performance hybrid GT with a carbon fiber body, 609 hp, 1,000 Nm, and an electric-only range of 124 km (WLTP) – the longest of any hybrid car in the world.
The Polestar 2 electric performance fastback is the company’s first fully electric, high-volume car. The Polestar 2 model range includes three variants with a combination of long- and standard-range batteries as large as 78 kWh, and dual- and single-motor powertrains with as much as 300 kW / 408 hp and 660 Nm.
In the coming three years, Polestar plans to launch one new electric vehicle per year, starting with Polestar 3 in 2022 – the company’s first electric performance SUV. Polestar 4 is expected to follow in 2023, a smaller electric performance SUV coupe.
In 2024, the Polestar 5 electric performance 4-door GT is planned to be launched as the production evolution of Polestar Precept – the manifesto concept car that Polestar released in 2020 that showcases the brand’s future vision in terms of design, technology, and sustainability. As the company seeks to reduce its climate impact with every new model, Polestar aims to produce a truly climate-neutral car by 2030.
Provided by Vivaldi
