Volvo performance arm Polestar plans to use its upcoming participation in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) racing series to help win over customers.
“There is a very close connection to what we race and what we will sell to the customer,” Polestar Chief Marketing Officer Hans Baath said. In 2016, Polestar and its motorsports partner, Cyan Racing will use two modified versions of the Volvo S60 sedan to compete against Lada, Honda, Chevrolet and defending champ Citroen. The 12-race season starts in March and ends in November. Francois Ribeiro, who the head of events for the series, said it costs less than 15 million euros to field a WTCC team for a season.
Polestar announced its return to the touring car championship on Oct. 13, which was the 30th anniversary of the day that the Volvo 240 Turbo claimed the 1985 European Touring Car Championship title. Volvo also raced in that series in 1986 and 2002. Next year Polestar Cyan Racing also will compete in the V8 Supercars circuit and the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship (STCC). Polestar and Cyan have won eight STCC driver titles and eight STCC team titles since they started working together.
