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Presenting the Polestar 1 - A Powerful Hybrid from Volvo

By Zlatan Stankovic on October 19, 2017

Polestar is Volvo’s performance arm, and they recently announced the concept for their first ever car. The Swedish carmaker will now focus on making electric vehicles to compete with Tesla. Polestar has long been the arm of Volvo that has been making race-ready cars. Now its mission is to develop high-performance electric cars that can compete against best on the market today.

The first car from the Polestar is The Polestar 1, a hybrid car that can deliver 592bhp from its powertrain. Early impressions are relatively good for the hybrid Grand Tourer Coupe. While there are not a lot of technical details available for the car, one thing that’s interesting from its press release is that it comes with an internal combustion.

This makes the Polestar 1 different from other hybrids in the market today. The 2.0-liter engine powers the front wheels, while some type of motor deals with the rear axle. It has an electric-only range of 93 miles, which is better than any hybrid car today. The hybrid powertrain can also produce up to 738 lb-ft of torque. The Polestar 1 is a performance electric hybrid designed to go farther than any other hybrid cars in the world.

Polestar 1 Features

The company based the design of Polestar 1 on the Scalable Platform Architecture of Volvo. It is similar to the design of the Volvo S90, but not all of it. It has a lower weight and center of gravity due to its carbon fiber body. It also has Ohlins Continuously Controlled Electronic Suspension for a much smoother ride. It comes with a double electric rear axle to power the wheels at the back.

The manufacturing of the car will be at the Polestar Production Center in Chengdu, China. There’s still no definite date for the launch of the car as the manufacturing plant is still under construction. However, Polestar is already accepting orders online, as well as a two to three-year subscription plan with no deposit required.

The company plans to release other Polestar vehicles after Polestar 1 that include the fully electric Polestar 2, which is going against the Tesla Model 3 by the year 2020. Volvo promised that it is going to make only electric and hybrid cars from 2019.

Volvo is the latest car manufacturer that is venturing into the electric and hybrid car market. Tesla has been the leader in the field but is now facing more competition from major automakers on the planet. BMW has released the specs of the I Vision Dynamics concept car, while Porsche is going to release its Mission E in 2019.

Volvo’s venture into the hybrid market is not just to compete against Tesla. It is eyeing to stay competitive in China, which is the largest auto market in the world. Chinese regulators are demanding a shift towards electric cars in the next couple of years, and Volvo’s move is a response to the call. It comes as no surprise when Volvo’s parent company, Geely, is Chinese.

Tags: VolvoBreaking NewsConcept CarsElectric CarsHybridSpecs