Polestar 1 coupe's carbon-fibre structure revealed

Volvo's new performance brand has revealed how it managed to slash more than 230kg off the kerb weight of its forthcoming Polestar 1 coupe -- thanks to extensive use of carbon-fibre reinforced plastics.

According to Polestar, to save weight the 1 gets a carbon-fibre bonnet, boot lid, side panels, doors and entire roof structure.

The same featherweight material was also employed in the 1's platform.

Shaped like a large mallet, a huge carbon-fibre section is even used between the middle and rear floors, which is said to "radically improve" torsional stiffness.

The carbon-fibre roof, meanwhile, is claimed to be not only lighter but stiffer and thinner than a steel equivalent, allowing a much lower roofline.

Undoing a considerable amount of weight-saving, the Swedish performance brand says the 1 will be available with a large (heavy) glass panoramic roof.

But the Volvo-owned brand's inaugural model won't be cheap.

It will be priced in the US from $155,000 ($A210,000) -- around the same money Porsche America charges for its 911 Turbo.

For that, as well as the exotic materials, you get a plug-in hybrid coupe that combines a turbocharged and supercharged 2.0-litre with twin-electric motors and a large battery pack.

Total power and torque measure in at 450kW and 1000Nm respectively. Polestar hasn't confirmed the 1's acceleration or top speed but expect a 0-100km/h time of around four seconds and a top speed approaching 300km/h.

Thanks to its plug-in capability, the Polestar 1 will also come with a very respectable 150km pure-electric range.

Claimed to have a low centre of gravity and torsional stiffness 45 per cent greater than a conventional steel-bodied coupe, engineers insist the 1 will be a 'true driver's car'.

Backing up this claim is a novel rear axle that enables torque-vectoring providing a rear-biased handling and, even, a propensity to indulge in the occasional drift.

Sadly, for those who fancy a fast, luxurious coupe with ultra-low running costs the Polestar is highly unlikely to venture Down Under.

The Swedish car-maker has already confirmed the 1500-vehicle production run will all be produced in left-hand drive.