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Polestar 1 Production Plant Starts Construction In China

Chengdu isn’t just one of the most populous areas in the People’s Republic of China, but it briefly served as the capital of the country from 1949 until the closure of the Chinese Civil War. Chengdu is the region’s equivalent to Silicon Valley in the United States, which might have had something to do with Polestar deciding to set base in this area of China.
Polestar 1 Production Plant in Chengdu, China 21 photos
Photo: Polestar
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Spun off from Volvo as a standalone brand and controlled by Geely, Polestar announced that the production facility for the 1 plug-in hybrid supercoupe is coming together in Chengdu. By mid-2018, the factory should be completed and ready to start tooling and pre-production tests.

The nine-month construction plan is challenging in its own right, but then again, the Polestar 1 is a plug-in hybrid unlike any before it. If that wasn’t impressive enough, Polestar highlights the plant “will be the most environmentally-responsible car factory in China.” And that’s saying something considering China’s environmental record isn’t all that green.

“We are building a Production Centre that is a reflection of our brand,” declared head honcho Thomas Ingenlath. “A facility that is modern, progressive, technically advanced and environmentally responsible. The Polestar Production Centre will be an embodiment of the Polestar brand.”

Described by its maker as a grand touring coupe, the 1 features a performance-oriented powertrain with 600 horsepower on tap and up to 150 kilometers of electric range. To whom it may concern, that translates to the longest pure electric distance of any hybridized car in the world.

Production of the 1 will start by mid-2019 and be capped at 500 examples per year, with pricing expected to range from €130,000 to €150,000 ($153,000 to $177,000) for the entry-level trim. There’s also the possibility Polestar will adopt the Care by Volvo subscription service introduced by the XC40. It all boils down to a flat fee that covers things such as the cost of the car, insurance, and maintenance into one monthly paid installment.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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