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Polestar 1 Coupe Spied Winter Testing With 600 HP and Carbon Bumpers

Volvo's performance brand Polestar has stopped trying to compete with Audi and BMW and is instead focusing on bespoke machines. This is their line in the sand, their statement piece, the Polestar 1, which started life as a Volvo concept coupe and is progressing further as a test prototype that's been spied in Scandinavia at a gas station of all places.
Polestar 1 Coupe Spied Winter Testing With 600 HP and Carbon Bumpers 12 photos
Photo: SB-Medien
Polestar 1 Coupe Spied Winter Testing With 600 HP and Carbon BumpersPolestar 1 Coupe Spied Winter Testing With 600 HP and Carbon BumpersPolestar 1 Coupe Spied Winter Testing With 600 HP and Carbon BumpersPolestar 1 Coupe Spied Winter Testing With 600 HP and Carbon BumpersPolestar 1 Coupe Spied Winter Testing With 600 HP and Carbon BumpersPolestar 1 Coupe Spied Winter Testing With 600 HP and Carbon BumpersPolestar 1 Coupe Spied Winter Testing With 600 HP and Carbon BumpersPolestar 1 Coupe Spied Winter Testing With 600 HP and Carbon BumpersPolestar 1 Coupe Spied Winter Testing With 600 HP and Carbon BumpersPolestar 1 Coupe Spied Winter Testing With 600 HP and Carbon BumpersPolestar 1 Coupe Spied Winter Testing With 600 HP and Carbon Bumpers
The concept is ancient, having debuted at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, so we're surprised to see them sticking with the old design language. The Lamborghini Urus, for example, deviated from the original look quite a lot when entering production. But Polestar is in no danger on not selling this 600 horsepower coupe, as reservations have already been placed.

Much like it did when it went up the Goodwood hill last year, the Polestar 1 is wearing body camo but a naked carbon fiber front bumper. Otherwise, the lights and lines are like a much sportier version of the S90 sedan. Unlike the S90, the Polestar 1 is built around the High Modulus CFRP Body, and it needs a lot of help in the lightness department because the powertrain is very complicated.

You get turbocharging and supercharging, plus a dual-motor rear, a first for Volvo. The total output is 600 HP and 1,000 Nm (738 lb-ft). It may not have the entire electric range of a Tesla, but a 34 kWh battery allows it to travel up to 150 km (93 miles) on a single charge. And it's not that expensive at $155,000.

This car is seriously quick, with Volvo promising a 0 to 62mph time of around four seconds. However, you just feel like unlike an AMG or M, this coupe has very little to prove.

The Polestar 2 sister model is expected to come out at the end of February with a total range of 350 miles and a base $40,000 price tag. So you see, all that work Volvo did with the early hybrids is starting to pay off.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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