Volvo's Polestar to Become Standalone Electric Performance Brand

[GTPNewsWire]

This is the discussion thread for a recent post on GTPlanet:

Volvo's Polestar to Become Standalone Electric Performance Brand

This article was published by Andrew Evans (@Famine) on June 22nd, 2017 in the Automotive News category.

 

[Pillo-san]

They probably gonna borrow some tech form Geely and call it their own

 

[PorscheHD]

Thats i shame loved to big turbo cars

 

[Robin]

Disappointing IMO. Its no longer really a performance brand then, it's an eco brand. As for the logo, Citroen called and want it back!

 

[jake2013guy]

Looks like another potential fall from the WTCC.

 

[RocZX]

Polestar's first model is rumored to be a standalone 600hp coupe

Volvo’s relaunched Polestar division is considering at least one, and possibly two, bespoke performance models with their own bodystyles.

One of these vehicles is understood to be a coupé featuring a high carbonfibre content and a powertrain with around 600bhp. The nature of the second model is unknown.

Volvo relaunched Polestar as a standalone brand last week and confirmed none of its models will wear the Volvo badge. The coupé is tipped to be revealed at the Frankfurt motor show in September.

--------

Its bespoke models would be powered by hybrid drivetrains. Volvo and Polestar insiders have already confirmed that the brand intends to specialise in high-performance petrol-electric drivetrains.

Hybrid drivetrains will also be used for the high-performance versions of Volvo’s mainstream range, partly to underline the marque’s commitment to plug-in hybrid technology and partly to further distinguish its offerings from those of Mercedes-AMG, BMW’s M division and Audi’s RS brand.

To achieve the 600bhp target, Polestar will need to extract a lot more from the plug-in hybrid drivetrain currently fitted to the XC90 T8, whose supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol produces 324bhp and 295lb ft alongside the 81bhp and 177lb ft of an electric motor.

There’s scope for producing a more powerful electric motor, if at the potential expense of range. Polestar insiders have already suggested that some range might be traded for performance.

AutoCar

 

[Joey D]

A guy on Reddit posted this today:



It's a camoed P1800 that's sporting some fat tires and a Polestar badge. It was taken near Volvo's test center in Gothenburg.

When looking at the picture of the rear of the car, it looks like there could be an electric motor hanging down slightly. The thought it among the Volvo nerds is that Polestar will either start offering electric conversion kits for older Volvos or they're putting together a low volume, special edition run of restro-mod P1800s.

 

[GranTurNismo]

Looks like Volvo and Polestar are getting a divorce. Due to unimpressive sales and the demand for EVs in this segment plummeting, Volvo is selling a majority stake (63%) of the company, and would only own 18% of Polestar after the deal.

Volvo to sell majority of Polestar (PSNY) stake, cuts funding for next growth stage

Volvo announced plans to sell 62.7% of its stake in EV maker Polestar (PSNY) as it looks toward the next...

electrek.co

 

[Keef]

Looks like Volvo and Polestar are getting a divorce. Due to unimpressive sales and the demand for EVs in this segment plummeting, Volvo is selling a majority stake (63%) of the company, and would only own 18% of Polestar after the deal.

Volvo to sell majority of Polestar (PSNY) stake, cuts funding for next growth stage

Volvo announced plans to sell 62.7% of its stake in EV maker Polestar (PSNY) as it looks toward the next...

electrek.co

What the hell?

I assume this is happening because Polestar is competing effectively with Volvo lol. Especially in places like NYC and Florida where I often go for work, I see just as many Polestar EVs as I do conventional Volvos. They've sabotaged their own sales by spinning off the brand. I never did understand why they did it - Polestar always should've been fully under Volvo's wing as a performance brand or trim level for sporty cars and EVs. I've rented a Polestar 2 in the past and it was a genuinely good car, if quirky, but that's to be expected with any Swedish car.

I can only assume that this is a death sentence for Polestar. Despite all its plans, I doubt Polestar exists five years from now, particularly as Volvo rolls out its own EVs and hybrids. The industry is rapidly realizing that widespread EVs won't be sustainable for 10+ years and are walking back toward PHEVs and I highly doubt that Polestar will be able to survive such a shift without massive investment.

Volvo just killed its own invention lol. Oops.

 

[INEEDNAWZZZ]

It's always been odd to me why companies were so hellbent on spinning off their EV offerings as a separate marque, same with Seat and Cupra. They look exactly like the original brand's models, they're sold at the same dealerships (over here anyway), marketing wise they're advertised in the same style, so what exactly is the goal here? Is it so that if it all goes belly up, there is seemingly no damage to the existing brand?

 

[Joey D]

Volvo just killed its own invention lol.

Volvo is increasingly becoming just another Chinese brand. Geely was pretty hands-off in the beginning, but it's made some questionable changes to the Volvo over the last 5-7 years. I noticed it after owning my 2019 S60, which was a decent car, but it wasn't the same as my 2013 S60. Unfortunately, it's put me off Volvo completely.

Polestar should've always remained as the Swedish version of AMG, but I'm convinced the Chinese don't have a clue how to manage car companies. It's not surprising they're messing up Polesar because that's just a drop in the bucket compared to the other terrible moves they make.

 

[Keef]

Volvo is increasingly becoming just another Chinese brand. Geely was pretty hands-off in the beginning, but it's made some questionable changes to the Volvo over the last 5-7 years. I noticed it after owning my 2019 S60, which was a decent car, but it wasn't the same as my 2013 S60. Unfortunately, it's put me off Volvo completely.

Polestar should've always remained as the Swedish version of AMG, but I'm convinced the Chinese don't have a clue how to manage car companies. It's not surprising they're messing up Polesar because that's just a drop in the bucket compared to the other terrible moves they make.

To be fair, the concept of heritage and brand image doesn't seem to exist throughout modern Chinese culture. They've washed all of that away. This problem is across the board, from individuals to corporate structures. Basically all of their companies are new and don't have any heritage at all yet, and in my opinion they don't seem to be creating any. We'll see what happens in time but I really do think its a cultural thing that they simply don't value. I think this is one reason they're going to struggle to gain success outside of China - especially in the US and Europe - and why any company who submits to their ownership is basically signing its own death certificate.