Carsales Staff•23 May 2014
NEWS
Volvo knocks 10 grand off S60 Polestar
Purchase price for flagship S60 drops below $100,000 – justUpdate, May 23: Volvo Australia's Marketing Communications Director, Oliver Peagam, has revealed that the original test batch of S60 Polestar for Australia – 50 units only – was built during the 2013 model year and has now been sold out. This has left Volvo Australia with no stock until the 2014 model arrives this month. According to Peagam too, Volvo's decision to reposition the S60 Polestar was in part a response to Audi lowering the price of its S4 model.
Volvo has repositioned the high-performance S60 Polestar, which will now set you back a five-figure sum, not six.
At the new price of $99,950 it's just $50 shy of $100,000, but it does represent a full $10,000 discount from the previous price.
In a press release issued today, Matt Braid, Volvo Car Australia Managing Director, effectively acknowledged that buyers in this market niche are price-sensitive and draw the line at $100,000.
"We are fully committed to the S60 Polestar and said at the very start of this journey that we would listen carefully to feedback in order to make this car a success and capitalise on our V8 Supercars program," Braid was quoted saying in the press release.
"Like every manufacturer, we also closely monitor our competitive set, so in respect of recent adjustments made elsewhere, we've reduced the Manufacturer's List Price of the S60 Polestar down to $99,950.
"We believe this realignment, combined with the improvements of the next-generation car, make the Volvo S60 Polestar a truly viable alternative in the high-performance, luxury sedan segment."
When the S60 Polestar originally went on sale in Australia at the end of 2011, it was an S60 T6 with some tweaks to lift output to 242kW and 480Nm and was priced at $82,990. The current version is a true on-going model with the engine upgraded to 257kW and 500Nm.
Polestar, Volvo's tame aftermarket supplier and tuner, is behind the engine upgrade and has also worked on the six-speed automatic transmission and the Haldex all-wheel drive system. The high-spec S60 will polish off the 0-100km/h time in 4.9 seconds.
Suspension is tweaked too; the 19-inch alloy wheels are exclusive to the S60 Polestar; and the brake system callipers are provided by Brembo.
Buyers have apparently baulked at paying close to $110,000, despite the extent of modifications. Yet the halo effect – and the S60 Polestar's association with V8 Supercars – does seem to be having some positive effect on sales of even the lesser variants in the S60 range.
"Interest in the S60 nameplate has increased significantly since the start of our V8 Supercars Championship program, and as Polestar's test market we are delighted to be at the forefront of Polestar's global development in motorsport and high-performance road cars," Braid said.
VFACTS figures reveal that the S60 range has sold 234 units to the end of April this year. That figure represents 90 more sales – a 62.5 per cent lift – than for the same period in 2013.
Tags
Volvo
S60
Car News
Sedan
Performance Cars
Prestige Cars
Written byCarsales Staff
Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalists
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