The Swedish electric performance brand Polestar is introducing its new Polestar 5 into Gran Turismo 7, for PlayStation 4 and 5. Showcased to fans at this weekend’s GT World Series event in Los Angeles, the Polestar 5 officially launches in Gran Turismo 7 in December 2025.
Both Polestar and Polyphony Digital, a subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment, granted each other unprecedented access to their development facilities and teams. The result was both brands working together to create a wholly accurate digital representation of the Polestar 5.
Kazunori Yamauchi, Gran Turismo Series Producer, says: “I have long been impressed by Polestar cars for their advanced, clean, and elegant designs, and so I am delighted to collaborate with them to bring the Polestar 5 to Gran Turismo. It is the first time we have worked together, and it has been a very positive experience. The development team at Polestar put a great deal of care into crafting the car’s driving experience, and so I am sure the players will enjoy the experience of driving it in Gran Turismo.”
Working especially closely with professional racing driver and sim-racer Igor Fraga, known for his experience and competitive lap times in Gran Turismo, the teams have faithfully translated the dynamic qualities of the Polestar 5 into the game. Fraga was given special access to prototype Polestar 5 vehicles and R&D experts at Polestar’s development facilities in Sweden before final sign-off at the Brands Hatch circuit in England.
The experts at Polyphony Digital then applied that real-world vehicle feedback to their class-leading handling and dynamics simulation, creating a precise digital representation of the car. With the right person behind the wheel, lap times in-game and in real life are directly comparable.
Joakim Rydholm, Head of Driving Dynamics at Polestar, says: “Working with the Gran Turismo team to ensure the digital ‘feel’ of the Polestar 5 was as close as possible to the real thing was a really important step for us. The end result means the digital car 100% replicates the behind-the-wheel experience of the real Polestar 5, meaning GT racers will have just as much fun as buyers of the actual cars.”
The Gran Turismo franchise is regarded as one of the most visually and dynamically accurate driving simulators available, recently surpassing 100 million sales of the series. And Polestar’s partnership with Polyphony Digital is set to continue over multiple years, starting with the introduction of the Polestar 5 into Gran Turismo 7 through a software update in December. At the same time, a special Polestar time trial event will take place in Gran Turismo 7, where the winner will receive an exclusive trip to Fukuoka, Japan to attend the World Finals of the 2025 GT World Series.
For those wanting to learn more about the collaboration, a documentary film showcasing the collaboration between physical and digital Polestar 5 will be available on Polestar’s YouTube channel when the time trial goes live.
