Ever since the Volvo Coupe Concept broke hearts worldwide back in 2013, the desire for Volvo to turn out a coupe with its current design language has been strong. Volvo had to set its priorities and take care of the bread-and-butter vehicles like the XC90, S90, V90 and XC60, which, as far as design is concerned, are beautiful works of art. But once Volvo announced Polestar would be the Swedish car maker’s performance sub-brand (albeit hybrid and electric performance), the company finally found a home for the coupe everyone wanted, and now we have Polestar’s first standalone car, the Polestar 1.
Most importantly, the comparison to Audi, BMW and Mercedes isn’t just wishful thinking. A hybrid-electric powertrain good for 600 horsepower and 737 lb-ft pushes the grand tourer coupe along. That’s up there with the Mercedes SL63, Audi RS7 and what the BMW M8 is thought to put down. Not only that, but the Polestar gets carbon fiber body panels — instead of aluminum or steel — to save weight and offset the batteries, by 507 pounds, to be exact. Combine that with the extra electric motors at the front and rear axle, the clever differential and continuously controlled electronic suspension, and the Polestar 1 will shame corners just as much as it will the quarter-mile.
The Polestar 1 is due in 2020, but there’s no official pricing at the moment. Polestar is hoping to offer a similar subscription service that Volvo announced with the XC40, offering short-term leases, online configuration and pick-up and delivery services. And when the next two Polestar models come out, you’ll be able to rent or trade those too, all with a monthly subscription. Whichever way you look at it, there’s a new Volvo coupe on the road; the world is now a better place.
Volvo’s Subscription Service
If you pay a cell phone bill, then you already know how this works. Read the Story
