Autograph Polestar 1: With this car, Volvo Tesla attacks

The first impression: Who let the concept car out of the exhibition hall?

The manufacturer says: "We could not have built this car at Volvo," says Thomas Ingenlath, CEO of Polestar. To explain: Polestar was once the motorsport department of Volvo, similar to AMG at Mercedes. Two years ago it was decided. To make Polestar its own brand, home to the group's dedicated electric cars. Also, Geely, since 2010, the Chinese parent company of Volvo, blessed the decision.

Since then Polestar operates like a start-up within the group. Of course, the up-and-coming company uses Volvo components for its vehicles, for example the SPA platform as the base of the Polestar 1. But: "We are taking a radical approach in many respects, which would not have been possible at Volvo," says Ingenlath. Thus, for example, the car is offered with a price of 155,000 euros only with full equipment, an extra list does not exist. In addition, the car is only available on the Internet. A dealer network should not arise. "We can make such decisions very quickly, and at Volvo it would have taken ages to coordinate with all the branches of the company," says Ingenlath.

500 copies of the plug-in hybrid sports car will be built at the Chinese production site in Chengdu in the future each year. Polestar is not only a start-up but also a manufacturer. But what is the business model of Polestar 1? Ingenlath struggles for an answer. The car is a brand ambassador, which should show what is possible, he should mark the upper end of the product portfolio. And then he admits it: "But there is also just a great enthusiasm for the project, for what is technically feasible, so the car is also a lover project." The lower end of the product portfolio marks the Polestar 2 from 2020, a pure electric car that will compete against the Model 3 of Tesla.

That's what we noticed: it's so wonderfully quiet here. In electric mode, only a low whistle and the rolling noise of the tires. Gas pedal to pass, the burner awakens, but what is it? No roar, no shriek, he gives little more than a sonorous growl. Polestar has denied any acoustic showmanship: No artificially created sparkling when downshifting, no induced misfires when changing gear under load.

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This is unusual for a car of this power class, but fits the brand. For decades, the Swedes performance and sporting attitude did not matter, safety was paramount. And with this rejection of the arms race of other manufacturers, cars from Sweden became automotive avant-garde, in the US Volvos (and also Saabs) were the darlings of the intellectual elite. The question of how such a potent vehicle adds to this tradition, is answered with it: He is the only vehicle in this performance class, with which one must not be ashamed of puberty-flealy acoustics at every exit.

Instead, when driving creates an almost unreal feeling. The acceleration of the car is brutal. At the same time, there is no such thing as noise, which, as a driver, almost automatically connects with this sensory impression. This quiet, sheer power is both irritating and fascinating at the same time.

It is also noteworthy how nimble the car, despite its 2.3-tonne weight through curves. Because only the base group is made of steel, where the batteries are stored and the vast majority of the vehicle is baked from carbon, the Polestar 1 has a low center of gravity and due to skillful placement of the battery packs also a nearly ideal weight distribution. The result: Even with fast corner changes barely body roll can be felt. In addition, the engineers cleverly use the advantages of two electric motors on the rear axle: on fast cornering, the outside wheel is consciously accelerated - and the Polestar 1 is literally turned into the curve. "Torque Vectoring" is the name of the process and is not new in itself - but so far has been practiced the other way around: In combustion vehicles, the inner wheel is braked. At the Polestar, the electric drive has its advantages.

Otherwise, the car makes numerous extravaganzas, as they are possible only in small batch production. Thus, the silhouette of a concept vehicle is made possible mainly by the roof struts made of carbon. They are significantly thinner than aluminum or steel constructions. Moreover, because the roof itself is made entirely of glass, the Polestar feels almost like a convertible. In the rear, Ingenlath has also allowed a little joke: In the trunk behind a glass shop window, the finger-thick, orange cable to see the battery.

You have to know that: In Polestar 1 four engines work. Front under the large carbon hood sits the four-cylinder gasifier. Thanks to double ventilation with turbo and compressor, he achieved 309 hp. On the rear axle, two electric motors work together with 232 hp. In addition, a starter generator is installed, which contributes another 68 hp. Running all four machines to maximum, they deliver 609 hp and a torque of 1000 Newton meters.

The amazing thing about it: The four-cylinder comes almost unchanged from the SUV XC90. The only modification compared to the civilian series is an enlarged airbox for more air intake. You have to let it melt on your tongue: An absolute standard engine is sufficient to allow in conjunction with electric motors such performance. In this respect, the Polestar 1 gives a small preview of what will happen in the future in the industry in large: here were not hosts of engine builders busy to mechanically tickle the last horsepower from the engine. Instead, software engineers were in demand. "The biggest challenge," says Ingenlath, "was the programming of the engine control system, so getting the engines to work together harmoniously and not noticeably was the biggest challenge of the project".

The car is a classic Gran Tourismo with 2 + 2 seats. The trunk is manageable with a volume of 143 liters, because over the rear axle part of the batteries is housed. The second part of the package sits in the center tunnel, bringing together the storage capacity of 34 kWh, which allows a purely electric range of 125 kilometers to WLTP. The Polestar 1 is based on the so-called SPA platform from Volvo, the rest of the car is made in carbon. Production at the Chinese plant in Chendu has started, the first copies will be delivered to customers in 2019.

We will not forget that: Adjusting the shock absorbers. Polestar has decided against an adaptive suspension, where you can adjust the hardness of the damper at the touch of a button. Instead, you have to turn small brass buttons at the top of the Öhlins damper a certain number of clicks to make the suspension harder or softer. This is quite easy with the front dampers, in the engine compartment. To get to the rear adjusting screws, you need a jack. This will lash the body until you can reach between the wheel and the fender for the screw. In a car where a computer orchestrates the interplay of four engines so harmoniously that you do not notice any transitions, and that's why it sometimes almost feels like a vehicle from the future, that's a wonderfully anachronistic process.

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