Volvo‘s performance road car brand Polestar just unveiled its first car: a two-door, four-seat electric hybrid.
The Polestar 1—an electric car that also has a conventional internal combustion engine—has a range of 93 miles on electric power alone, which Volvo said is the “longest full electric range of any hybrid car on the market.” It can deliver up to 600 horsepower and 1000Nm of torque, placing it “firmly in the performance car segment,” Volvo said.
“Polestar 1 is … a beautiful GT with amazing technology packed into it,” Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said in a statement. “All future cars from Polestar will feature a fully electric drivetrain, delivering on our brand vision of being the new standalone electric performance brand.”
The Polestar 1 will be built in a new production facility in Chengdu, China. It’s available for pre-order now and slated to “roll off the production line in mid-2019,” Volvo said.
Polestar cars will be sold “100 percent online,”
Now the brand plans to open Polestar Spaces around the world so people can check out the vehicles in person. The cars will be offered on a two- or three-year subscription basis; the monthly fee will include pickup and delivery servicing and the ability to rent alternative Volvo and Polestar vehicles.
The Polestar 2 is expected to go into production in late 2019. It will be a mid-sized, battery-electric vehicle, competing with Tesla’s Model 3 and Chevy’s Bolt. The Polestar 3 will be a larger, SUV-style battery-electric vehicle.
