Goodness, that’s pretty...
Yes it is. Polestar’s designers
wanted to distance themselves
from their Volvo siblings with
something that looked sexy
without losing the modern lines
and Scandinavian influences.What’s underneath the bonnet?
There’s a twin-turbocharged
and supercharged four-cylinder
petrol engine that develops
309hp, but that’s only half the
story. Twin rear electric motors
contribute an additional 232hp
and a crank-integrated starter
generator throws in another
68hp. You don’t have to be Rachel
Riley to work out that equates to
609hp – a gut-busting amount of
power for any luxury GT.So is this the shape of things to
come at Polestar?
Weirdly not, because the Swedish
brand has said it will only create
all-electric vehicles from now on,with a Tesla Model 3 rival due in- There’ll also be an electric
SUV in the line-up, but no more
hairy-chested hybrids like this.
That’s a shame. Is it annoyingly
good to drive too?
You guessed it – an absolute
peach to pilot. The surge of
power from standstill is addictive,
steering is light but direct and the
manually adjustable suspension
(slight overkill) ensures the ride
remains firm and planted. Then
ease off the accelerator and the
Polestar 1 transforms into a quiet,
sedate and very luxurious cruiser.Does it destroy the planet a bit?
The battery packs ensure it can
go for up to 77 miles on electricity
alone, while the all-electric top
speed is 100mph. Official fuel
economy is 403mpg on the
combined cycle, making a very
convincing case for hybrids that
are as mean as they are green.KARM DOWN
If you need proof
that electric cars
are edging towards
desirable territory,
take a look at
the Karma SC2
concept. This
staggeringly
beautiful ‘design
expression’ is said
to develop a mighty
1085bhp from front
and rear electric
motors. There’s
no commitment
to produce one,
though. Sad face.TRUCK YEAH!
As you may have
noticed, Tesla has
launched an electric
pickup truck. The
company reckons
this American
institution needs
a makeover and
its Cybertruck,
with a 500-mile
range, 0-60mph
time of 2.9s and
bulletproof windows
(well, in theory...),
is its answer.
Deposits are
being taken now.ZIMMER BIMMER
Legendary film
composer Hans
Zimmer (Inception,
The Dark Knight)
has teamed up
with BMW to create
a new ‘score’ for
future electric
models. The
Vision M Next
is the marque’s
debut fully electric
supercar and is set
to blast Zimmer’s
stirring crescendos
under heavy
acceleration.Polestar 1
SWEDE AND TENDER
HOOLIGAN
£139,000 / polestar.com NEWS DASHBOARD
Body panels
are made of super-
light CFRP, allowing
plenty of creative
freedom for the
designers.