Polestar’s first hybrid coupe prototype has completed its maiden dynamic test in the Arctic Circle. The focus in the two weeks of testing was on the 600hp machine’s drivetrain, batteries and torque vectoring system, in temperatures that reached minus 28 degrees Celcius.
Polestar boss Thomas Ingenlath said the torque vectoring system enhanced the 1’s cornering responsiveness and accuracy, adding: “This is a driver’s car.” The car, which will be on display at the Beijing motor show, will initially be sold in 18 countries.
Before the opening of order books, Polestar said that more than 6,000 potential customers had expressed an interest in the car.
According to Ingenlath, who also remains Volvo’s design director, Polestar will become Volvo’s “technological spearhead” that, after the 1 hits the market, will make only all-electric performance cars. The company is preparing for an early 2020 launch of the all-electric Polestar 2 crossover sedan, which bears a very close relationship to Ingenlath’s Concept 40.2 that has already been seen at motor shows. A full-sized Polestar 3 SUV will arrive after that.
The 1 coupé has an all-carbonfibre body based on a shortened S90 platform. It will produce 600hp from a front-mounted 2.0-litre turbo engine, plus twin electric motors on the rear axle, and is very much a halo car.
