Volvo’s first ever Polestar 1 is hybrid sports car with 592bhp and 90 miles of electric range
Polestar 1 is the first car from Volvo's new performance brand but won't be ready until 2019. Just 500 of the hybrids will be made with 'owners' paying a monthly subscription fee
THE first ever Polestar has been revealed - and it's an incredible high-performance hybrid sports car.
Volvo's new spin-off brand has launched the Polestar 1 - a 592bhp sports car that comes with 90 miles of electric-only range, the most of any hybridin the world.
You won't actually be able to buy the sleek coupe when it rolls of production lines in 2019, though.
Instead, "owners" will pay an all inclusive subscription fee with on-demand add-ons like concierge services available for extra.
It'll be the next generation of the Swedish maker's Care by Volvo launched for the £629 a month XC40 that includes insurance, fuel and servicing.
Like any new model, the Polestar 1 is packed with the latest tech - including Phone-as-Key which lets drivers unlock the car with a smartphone app.
It's likely to get Volvo's market leading safety systems, too.
While the stylish cabin is clutter-free with a huge central touchscreen dominating the inside.
You'll have to be quick if you want one as just 500 of the two-door Polestar 1s will be built a year.
And you won't have to go to a dealer with the subscription sign-up available purely online - just a handful of Polestar "stores" will open in 2019.
The 4.5-metre 2+2 seater Polestar is shorter and sportier than the Volvo S90 it's based on.
And with rear-wheel drive and 600bhp combined from Volvo's four-cylinder Drive-E engine and electric motors, it'll pack a punch on the road although performance figures are kept under wraps.
It gets world-first electric chassis technology to improve handling - and drivers can even tweak ride settings in-car.
It's also the first Volvo to have carbon fibre body panels which strips weight to further add to the Polestar's racy performance.
Thomas Ingenlath, Chief Executive Officer of Polestar, said: "The Polestar 1 is a Performance Electric Hybrid, but with the longest pure electric range of any hybrid car in the world, we consider it an electric car with support from an internal combustion engine.
"Most electric cars are fast - that’s a product of the attributes of an electric motor.
"However, for Polestar, performance is far more holistic than just straight-line speed.
"It’s about acceleration, of course, but it’s also about cornering, braking, suspension control, chassis feedback and steering feel."
The Polestar 1 will be followed by the 2 and 3.
The 2 will be a pure electric car aimed at the Tesla Model 3 and will start production before the end of 2019.
A large electric SUV will follow with the Polestar 3.
