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Polestar 1 (Volvo's performance brand) Debuts


rmc523

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https://www.autoblog.com/2017/10/17/polestar-1-first-look-600-hp-hybrid/

 

 

Introduced today at the launch of Volvo's new Polestar brand here in Shanghai, the Polestar 1 has a lot of Volvo DNA, but has been turned up to 11 by the fine folks at Polestar — formerly Volvo's internal tuning house. It's built on the same Scalable Product Architecture that underpins the XC90, the new XC60, and the rest of Volvo's new-generation 60- and 90- series cars. It sort of uses the same Drive-E twin-engine powertrain that you can find in the T8 versions of a number of Volvo's latest generation cars — it even looks like a Volvo, inside and out.

Clearly inspired by the Volvo Concept Coupe from a few years ago, the Polestar 1 will be the halo car for Volvo's new performance marque. It's a two-door, 2+2 grand tourer coupe that puts out 600 horsepower and 737 foot-pounds of torque from its plug-in hybrid powertrain. Polestar says fifty percent of the car is "new and bespoke," designed by engineers within the new company.

Power comes from a four-cylinder Drive-E engine brought over from Volvo's current line of cars, with a pair of electric motors driving the rear wheels connected via planetary gears. The electric motors produce 218 horsepower on their own, and the car carries enough juice to go more than 90 miles on electric power alone (though Polestar didn't specify whether that was under the American or European testing cycle). That would make it the longest-range PHEV on the market if it were available today.

...

Just 500 Polestar 1's will be made available each year through a new online-only ordering process — and don't expect to buy one, either. Polestar's cars will only be available through two- and three- year subscriptions with insurance and maintenance included. The Polestar 1 order book opens today, and production is expected to begin in mid-2019.

But that's not the only car that Polestar has in the works. Polestar 2 is a midsize all-electric sedan that will compete with the Model 3 (and whatever else is announced between now and its 2019 on-sale date). The Polestar 2 is currently in the engineering phase and Polestar says it will start production before the end of 2019, in higher volumes than Polestar 1.

Polestar 3, which is in the final design phase, will be a "larger SUV-style" electric car. It will sit between Polestar 1 and 2 in both volume and pricing.

All Polestar's cars will, at least initially, be assembled at a purpose-built facility in Chengdu, China, and the brand will remain a subsidiary of Volvo Car Group, though it is set up as a 640 million euro joint venture between Volvo and parent company Zhejiang Geely Holding.

Everything, from test drives and ordering to on-demand services like car-washes and valet, will be handled through a dedicated Polestar app. A number of Polestar Space locations will be opened beginning in the first quarter of 2019, allowing customers to see the cars and speak with Polestar product specialists in person. They will be completely separate from Volvo showrooms, though existing Volvo dealerships will handle maintenance and servicing of Polestar vehicles.

 

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The grille looks stranged/unfinished without a logo in it. I don't like the wheels either.

 

Furthermore, I don't quite understand the separation of Polestar into its own separate brand. People don't know what it is now, let alone well enough to make it its own brand.......and styling-wise they look like Volvo products (with the dash being carried over from the S90).....I guess they feel like the Volvo name + performance isn't good enough?

Edited by rmc523
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In all seriousness, I wonder how car manufactures are figuring out why a subscription based model is the way to go. I don't see a benefit for the customer, outside of some fringe things that in the grand scheme of things is overkill.

 

Unless you can keep the price around $500 month to include car insurance, I don't see it being a really viable model for most people.

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In all seriousness, I wonder how car manufactures are figuring out why a subscription based model is the way to go. I don't see a benefit for the customer, outside of some fringe things that in the grand scheme of things is overkill.

 

Unless you can keep the price around $500 month to include car insurance, I don't see it being a really viable model for most people.

How is it different from a lease? I prefer buying but leasing works for some people I guess. I wonder what they do with the vehicle after the subscription is up.
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Sounds like a lease to me, with maintenance included.

 

And insurance.

 

Didn't take Volvo long to realize that elevating its own brand is now just too hard..

 

Except it's a Volvo with a different badge.

 

In all seriousness, I wonder how car manufactures are figuring out why a subscription based model is the way to go. I don't see a benefit for the customer, outside of some fringe things that in the grand scheme of things is overkill.

 

Unless you can keep the price around $500 month to include car insurance, I don't see it being a really viable model for most people.

 

Yeah, so far we've seen Cadillac launch Book, which is IIRC $1,300/month, and Porsche Passport, which will be $2,000 or $3,000/month.

 

I just don't see it being a viable option for people or the manufacturers for mass-market vehicles. Can you imagine the size fleet you'd have to have to allow mass-market vehicle buyers to switch when they want?

 

Polestars will be subscription only, but it's sounding like you'll be able to buy it after that subscription ends? It doesn't seem clear at the moment.

 

https://www.autoblog.com/2017/10/17/polestar-1-maybe-you-can-buy-one-after-all/

 

Apparently it'd be $153,000-177,000, which seems absurdly high for this car.

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This is different than Porsche and Cadillac - with those you could switch cars as often as you wanted - daily in fact. With Polestar it appears to be a single vehicle lease.

 

Whoops, you're right. So essentially, it'd be leasing + maintenance + insurance = your monthly payment to Polestar. And I'm assuming the "simplification" that comes with electric vehicles as far as maintenance goes helps offset the insurance cost in whatever rate they charge. So while it'll still be higher than a regular lease payment, it (presumably) wouldn't be as high as those three combined on a gas-powered model would be.

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Subscription vs Lease:

 

You can get a pretty decent car for a $350 per month lease (which many offer free maintenance so it can be sold certified pre-owned) then figure in anywhere from 100 to 200 a month for insurance on it. So just have to figure in paying for gas...which would total about $500-600 for most people.

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Tell her to get her own insurance...thats what my parents did...I was paying $1000 a year for insurance when I was 17-18 years old.

 

Most I paid was around $2400 a year for an SVT Focus...then it went down to $1800 when I got my Mustang! Went back up after my accident.

 

I pay about 2100 a year for two cars, with perfect driving records. We both got rear ended in the past 5 years though, in another state when we lived there.

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I figure paying for insurance is part of helping out until she is out of college and into the real world. Then she's on her own. Now, if she wants to buy a Mustang or something with high insurance, she's on her own at that point!

 

Yeah I said the same thing. Still paying for daughter's car (hand me down from mom but a nice one - 2014 Escape titanium) and insurance. She's 22 and is in between jobs (college didn't work out). I hate to see our kids have to struggle to get by like we did so we probably overdo it. But I also don't want her driving something unreliable. She will start paying her own insurance as soon as she's financially able which is hopefully soon - she has a job interview on Monday.

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Yeah I said the same thing. Still paying for daughter's car (hand me down from mom but a nice one - 2014 Escape titanium) and insurance. She's 22 and is in between jobs (college didn't work out). I hate to see our kids have to struggle to get by like we did so we probably overdo it. But I also don't want her driving something unreliable. She will start paying her own insurance as soon as she's financially able which is hopefully soon - she has a job interview on Monday.

 

Agreed. A hand up is much better than a hand out.

 

My kids are out picking up black walnuts now (well, the youngest is). $0.15/lb, and I won't charge them a fee to take to the buyer. Good thing, otherwise they wouldn't have anything left! :)

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Agreed. A hand up is much better than a hand out.

 

My kids are out picking up black walnuts now (well, the youngest is). $0.15/lb, and I won't charge them a fee to take to the buyer. Good thing, otherwise they wouldn't have anything left! :)

 

She had been living on her own with roommates the last 2 years (paying her rent and food), had a great new job and was about to move into her own apartment when she got canned for making one too many mistakes. So now she's back home with us living in a small rental house while our new house is being built. Hopefully this next job will be more long term and she can room with her best friend again who just got a big girl job after graduating college.

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She had been living on her own with roommates the last 2 years (paying her rent and food), had a great new job and was about to move into her own apartment when she got canned for making one too many mistakes. So now she's back home with us living in a small rental house while our new house is being built. Hopefully this next job will be more long term and she can room with her best friend again who just got a big girl job after graduating college.

 

How's the new house coming? Do you have a planned move-in date?

 

 

...a big girl job...

 

LOL!

 

They all (the majority anyway) grow up someday and become contributing members to society (or so I'm told).

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