Polestar 1 Officially Revealed As A 600HP Hybrid Coupe With 93 Miles Of EV Range

The new Polestar One is finally out, with the company releasing all the details on their new halo model during a special event in Shanghai.

Set to become a halo model for the brand, the new Polestar One is a two-door, 2+2 seat Gran Tourer that’s powered by a powerful ‘Electric Performance Hybrid’ powertrain churning out 600hp and 1000Nm (737lb-ft) of torque.

As expected, the new Polestar One is based on Volvo’s Scalable Platform Architecture (SPA) but the standalone performance brand claims that around 50 percent of their latest creation is new and bespoke, created by their own engineers.

This happened because Polestar wants the One to be a true performance coupe, giving it things like an all-new Öhlins Continuously Controlled Electronic Suspension (CESi) and a full carbon-fiber bodywork that not only is lighter but also improves torsional stiffness by 45 percent.

Polestar 1's rear axle is powered by two electric motors that also enable torque vectoring for maximum grip and speed while cornering. A four-cylinder 2.0-liter Drive-E engine powers the front axle. The two rear electric motors produce 218hp, allowing the new performance model to run on electricity alone for 150km (93 miles), which is the longest all-electric range of any hybrid model in the market. Weight distribution is 48:52 front to rear while the brakes come from Akebono and feature six-piston calipers and 400mm discs.

"Polestar 1 is the first car to carry the Polestar on the bonnet," said Thomas Ingenlath, Chief Executive Officer of Polestar. "A beautiful GT with amazing technology packed into it - a great start for our new Polestar brand. All future cars from Polestar will feature a fully electric drivetrain, delivering on our brand vision of being the new standalone electric performance brand".

As for when we are going to see it launching into the market, the company says that production will begin in mid-2019 at a new, state-of-the-art Polestar Production Center in Chengdu, China. The production facility is currently under construction and is expected to be complete in mid-2018.

Polestar will adopt a subscription sales model instead of the traditional one, with cars to be ordered 100% online and offered on a two- or three-year subscription basis. The subscription will have no deposit and will be all-inclusive, meaning delivery, maintenance, insurance and the option to use other Polestar or Volvo models for a flat monthly fee. Polestar will also offer an online concierge service via a mobile app.

Polestar also announced that its future models will be all-electric ones, starting with the Polestar 2 which will enter production in 2019 as the first battery-electric model from the Volvo Car Group. The company even names the Tesla Model 3 as the main rival for their upcoming mid-sized EV. The initial Polestar product roll-out will be completed with the launch of the Polestar 3, a mid-sized all-electric SUV.

Customers can pre-order the new Polestar 1 as of now, as the company is accepting “expressions of interest” immediately.

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