Volvo has acquired Polestar, and the brand will now be used as the model name for high performance Volvos. Expect more moosepower and hybrid wizardry.
While the Swedish company certainly started making great cars again, in order to succeed as a premium brand, they also need to offer high-speed versions that can keep up with the competition.
Polestar has the know-how and is already working on the blue-badged version of the XC90 for America as well as different aftermarket performance optimization kits that can be ordered for most Drive-E drivetrains straight from the dealerships. In the future, Volvo’s Polestar team will create the next generation of hybrid performance cars using their twin-engine technology.
As Polestar employees become Volvo employees, the Polestar racing team will be renamed but remain under under the control of Christian Dahl, who had this to say about the transition:
We are extremely satisfied with the way the performance business with Volvo has developed. But we are a racing team first and foremost. This is an opportunity to return our full attention to our core business – to develop and race Volvo cars.
While Volvo expects to sell just 750 Polestar V60s and S60s globally in 2015, the medium term plan is to increase sales to between 1,000 and 1,500 cars a year.
The concept of all-wheel drive Volvos with Polestar chassis pushed forward fast by all the torque coming from the combination of an electric engine as well as the turbo four sounds pretty sweet.
As long as they can keep the weight down.
Photo credit: Volvo
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