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 -28degC.
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.
The car made its European debut at the Geneva motor show in February and is going on a brand-building world tour before its public launch in the middle of next year. Once productions begins, only 500 examples of the 1 are due to be sold each year.
Before the opening of order books, Polestar said that more than 6,000 potential customers had expressed an interest in the car, which will cost around (approximately Rs 1.07 crore).
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.