COVER Polestar is born
Performance brand arrives with Volvo S90-inspired coupé
POLESTAR, the former performance subbrand of Volvo, has revealed its first standalone model, the Polestar 1. It goes into production in 2019, will be built exclusively at a new facility in China and will be available to markets worldwide, including the UK, but in left-hand drive only.
The production-ready coupé has been unveiled alongside news of two further all-electric Polestar products in the pipeline: a Tesla Model 3-rivalling saloon and a larger SUV. These models will be called Polestar 2 and 3 respectively.
The Polestar 1 is touted as an “Electric Performance Hybrid”. It makes use of a 338bhp 2.0-litre fourcylinder petrol engine powering the front wheels and a starter motor generator injecting an additional 39bhp, while a team of electric motors sends 215bhp to the rear axle. No performance stats have been revealed, but total power stands at 592bhp and there’s 1,000Nm of torque.
Polestar claims that the car can run on the rear electric motor and integrated starter motor only, and this provides a claimed all-electric range of 93 miles.
As well as the high-performance hybrid powertrain, the Swedish firm has kitted out the Polestar 1 with driver-configurable active suspension from specialist Ohlins. Polestar claims the system can react to changes in the road surface in less than two milliseconds. Large brakes with six-piston calipers from Akebono provide stopping power, while the planetary gearbox driving the rear axle doubles as a torque-vectoring unit.
The Polestar 1 takes the design language of the S90 saloon and morphs it into a smooth 2+2 coupé format. But at 4,500mm in length, it’s shorter than the S90, and also has a 320mm shorter wheelbase than the saloon.
At the front end, Volvo’s signature grille is flanked by ‘Thor’s Hammer’ LED headlights, while the side of the car is uncluttered, sporting clean lines. C-shaped tail-lamps inject a little flair into the squared-off rear end, complete with Polestar badging.
Extensive use of carbon fibre in the body panels saves 230kg compared with a steel construction. The company says it intends to build 500 Polestar 1s a year,
and the cars will be available through a new subscription service, similar to that being offered by Volvo on the new XC40.
One monthly payment covers insurance and maintenance, and will also provide customers with on-demand services for short-term access to other vehicles. Polestar envisages subscriptions lasting for two or three years, at the end of which the car will be replaced with a new one. The old vehicle is then refurbished and offered via subscription as a second-hand model.
Polestar remains a subsidiary of Volvo, which has ploughed £577m into the firm, alongside two investment companies housed within parent corporation Geely Holdings.
“There’s 592bhp and 1,000Nm of torque, but the Polestar 1 can travel 93 miles in EV mode”