news

2015 Polaris Slingshot: extreme two-seat trike eyeing Australia

The slightly mental three-wheeled Polaris Slingshot may make its way to Australia despite anticipated issues around its official classification.


Newly released as part of the US company's 60th anniversary celebrations, the two-seat Polaris Slingshot teams a 129kW/225Nm 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine with a five speed manual transmission and claims to have been made to “charge corners at top speeds".

Sitting a meagre 127mm (five inches) off the ground and boasting “optimised weight distribution”, the 782kg Slingshot measures 3800mm long and 1960mm wide – shorter than a Mazda MX-5 and just shy of the width of a Lamborghini Aventador.

Highlighted by its open cockpit design, the extreme three-wheeler is based on a high-strength steel spaceframe and features power-assisted steering and 'sport-tuned' suspension comprising double wishbones, gas-filled coil-over shocks and a sway bar.

Forged 17-inch front wheels and a single 18-inch rear top off the Slingshot as standard – a higher spec Slingshot SL gains 18-inch fronts and a 20-inch rear – along with waterproof seats, electronic stability control, traction control and ABS.

Stripped out? Hardly, the thing still gets mod cons such as a 4.3-inch LCD screen, a reversing camera and a six-speaker stereo with Bluetooth integration. There’s also two lockable storage bins behind the seats and even a glove box.

Referring to the Slingshot as a "segment defining product", Polaris Australia and New Zealand managing director Peter Alexander said, like other Polaris products such as the Sportsman ACE, "should the Slingshot come to Australia, classifying it could also prove problematic."

"We are interested to hear feedback from our consumers about our latest … release as we believe there will be a high demand in Australia and New Zealand for the Slingshot," said Alexander.

"We will work with regulators in regards to what it will take to bring the unique Slingshot to our marketplace."

Further, a spokesperson for Polaris Australia and New Zealand told CarAdvice that timing remains up in the air, however, the local division is “looking into the homologation and also the market for such a model in Australia, which at this stage is just exploratory”.

Though local pricing appears a way off, if it’s any guide, the Polaris Slingshot starts at US$19,999 ($21,555) in its home market.

Chat with us!







Chat with Agent