Polestar, the electric performance brand from Volvo, will make its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show when it shows off the company’s first car, the Polestar 1.
“We are looking forward to exhibiting at the Geneva Motor Show and are eager to hear feedback and see the reactions from the public on our first car and our new brand,” said Thomas Ingenlath, chief executive officer at Polestar.
“Our stand in Geneva will be a powerful incarnation of what our brand embodies: uncompromised, pure and progressive design,” he added.
Several luxury car makers are moving into the EV space pioneered by Tesla with its Roadster and under pressure from regulators. Jaguar, Audi, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz have all announced plans for electrified luxury vehicles that will be on the road no later than 2021.
(Volvo sets up subscription services for Polestar. Click Herefor the story.)
The Polestar 1, while not a pure electric vehicle, is an electric performance hybrid GT capable of producing 600 horsepower. Capable of running 150 kilometers in electric mode, it has the longest electric-only driving range of any hybrid car in the world.
Volvo last year re-organized the Polestar brand around electric power but maintained the brand’s performance orientation. In October, Volvo announced that Polestar would become a separately—branded, electrified car company, offering a portfolio of specifically designed vehicles.
The construction of its new state-of-the-art Polestar Production Center began last autumn in Chengdu, China, where the Polestar 1, will be produced. Polestar 1 had its global debut in Shanghai in October 2017 and production of the car is expected to start in mid-2019.
(Click Here for details about Volvo’s plans to go all-electric.)
Polestar will share technological and engineering synergies with Volvo cars and benefit from significant economies of scale through the connection to Volvo that will allow it to design, develop and build electrified high-performance cars.
Currently, Polestar builds the S60 and V60 Polestar, 367 horsepower cars with more than 250 components and features that separate from the standard Volvo products.
It’s also continues to offer the Polestar Engineered performance upgrades and engine software optimization product that Volvo traditionally offered under the Polestar name.
(To see more about Volvo beginning production on Polestar plant in China, Click Here.)
Volvo officials also re-confirmed during a media briefing in Austin, Texas, that, going forward, it is planning to offer an electrified version of every model its sells. The first pure electric Volvo is expected to make its debut next year.
