Polestar Bids 'Farewell' to Volvo Cars

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Polestar said goodbye to Volvo Cars over the internet this week. While we like what Polestar does, the social media posting is a slightly sanctimonious. The brand will undoubtedly continue to use Volvo cars as a base for all of its upcoming builds and persist under the same corporate umbrella. It would be a bit like AMG wishing Mercedes-Benz a fond farewell in 2005 and then continuing to use its vehicles.

They’re technically separate entities but both AMG and Polestar exist as a result of the core brand and operate under the watchful eye of a much larger company — Daimler for AMG and Geely for Polestar. The only difference is that the Swedish performance arm is, like Volvo, focusing on electrification for added power while the Germans continue with rip-roaring internal combustion powerplants without even a hint of EV adoption.

Just kidding. Mercedes-AMG’s director of vehicle development, Drummond Jacoy, already confirmed the brand has to “reinvent” itself when it comes to electric cars, promising mild-hybrid applications last Janurary.

However, the Polestar brand will enter into its newish life as an electric-focused company from day one. Now led by Thomas Ingenlath, former design head at Volvo, Polestar promises an array of “world beating electrified high performance cars.”

We don’t yet know what that looks like, though. Volvo has already vowed to electrify all of its models starting in 2019, so Polestar really only has to improve their performance to maintain its own claims. But there are industry rumors that the brand will introduce standalone models, as well as battery-only cars, prior to Volvo’s EV changeover. Either way, the performance models won’t carry the mainstream label.

An official announcement is expected in October, specifying what sort of ambitions Polestar has for its electrified range of performance-focused models. We’re estimating extremely high performance numbers and imagine anything with less than 300 horsepower would be a nonstarter.

In July, Autocar suggested Polestar’s first entry could be a sexy 600 bhp coupe, though no official details cropped up during the recent Frankfurt Auto Show. However, it would be a reasonable assumption that the company’s initial model will be a beefed-up plug-in hybrid based on Volvo’s T8 twin engine technology.

[Images: Polestar]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • ...m... ...m... on Sep 27, 2017

    ...whither lotus in volvo’s future, and vice-versa?..

  • Cimarron typeR Cimarron typeR on Oct 02, 2017

    Meh... Chinese electrified Volvo SUVs , I'll pass

    • Brett Woods Brett Woods on Oct 08, 2017

      I also poo poo'd when heard about take over by Chinese newly rich industrialists. Thought they would emphasize imitation of style and function rather than focus on performance of function; that based on previous experience with new Chinese products. I saw one of those Q-Ship fu*#ers all plugged in and I gave it the look over and crammed views of the inside and I was pretty impressed. No idea of reliability, but it sure looked strong.

  • ToolGuy This is the kind of thing you get when you give people faster internet.
  • ToolGuy North America is already the greatest country on the planet, and I have learned to be careful about what I wish for in terms of making changes. I mean, if Greenland wants to buy JDM vehicles, isn't that for the Danes to decide?
  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
  • Carson D The UAW has succeeded in organizing a US VW plant before. There's a reason they don't teach history in the schools any longer. People wouldn't make the same mistakes.
  • B-BodyBuick84 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport of course, a 7 seater, 2.4 turbo-diesel I4 BOF SUV with Super-Select 4WD, centre and rear locking diffs standard of course.
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