592bhp, carbonfibre bodywork and Akebono brakes – doesn’t sound like a Volvo because it isn’t one
Volvo’s new performance arm, Polestar has revealed its first electric-petrol GT car – a carbon fibre bodied, 592bhp, two door, 2+2 coupe that will go on sale in 2019 and take on BMW’s i8 and give Tesla Model S owners something to think about. Along with the Polestar 1, the company will also launch Polestar 2 – a Tesla Model 3 rivalling battery electric vehicle (BEV) – and Polestar 3, a battery powered performance SUV to rival the Model Tesla X. All three will be built in a new production facility in Chengdu, China.
Built on Volvo’s scalable platform architecture, Polestar 1 is 65cm shorter in overall length than that of an S90 (320mm from the wheelbase, 200mm from the rear body) and at 4.5-metres in overall length matches a Porsche 911. Nearly 50 per cent of the platform is new and bespoke to Polestar 1.
The 2+2’s body is mainly manufactured from carbon fibre, cutting 230kg from the S90’s body in white. The process has also increased torsional stiffness by 45 per cent over Volvo’s saloon and weight distribution is 48:52 front:rear.
Beneath the lightweight body is Polestar’s USP – its petrol-electric powertrain. Fitted to the rear axle is a double-electric motor system driving both rear wheels through a planetary gear set to produce 218bhp. The system is also supported by an integrated starter generator, and in pure electric mode the Polestar 1 will have a pure electric driving range of nearly 100 miles, currently over four times that of BMW’s i8. Where as BMW’s plug-in hybrid also features a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, the Polestar 1 is also fitted with a 374bhp 2.0-litre, turbocharged and supercharged four-cylinder petrol engine driving the front wheels through an eight-speed gearbox. Combined, the Polestar 1’s total power and torque outputs are 592bhp and 737lb ft. At the time of writing no performance figures have been released for the car.
Beneath the lightweight carbon body is an adaptive suspension system developed by Ohlins, called Continuously Controlled Electronic Suspension (CESi). An electronic valve positioned within the damper constantly monitors both driver inputs and the road surface conditions adjusting the damping rate accordingly. The driver can also change the damper settings from within the car should they wish through configurable driver modes.
Polestar has also approached a third party supplier for the brakes, too, with Akebono developing a set of a six-piston calipers and 400mm discs for the Polestar 1. Torque vectoring on the rear axle, a first for the Volvo Group, is also fitted.
500 examples of the Polestar 1 will be built every year, and all will be left hand –it will still be sold in the UK. And you won’t technically own the car or buy it from a traditional dealer. Instead, you will spec and order your car online and lease it for either two or three years. There will be no deposit and a flat rate monthly fee will include insurance and maintenance, and access to Volvo’s wider range of cars should you need something bigger, smaller or SUV shaped for a specific journey.
Available to order now, Polestar deliveries will begin from the middle of 2019.
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