Watch: 2019 Polestar 1 being tested at the Arctic Circle
Swedish grand tourer shown frolicking in the snow as engineers attempt to make first model a real driver's carVolvo's fledgling EV brand has announced its Polestar 1 hybrid coupe has successfully completed its first dynamic shakedown at the Arctic Circle.
Enduring temperatures that plummeted as low as -28C, the first bout of cold-weather testing was claimed to help hone the 450kW hybrid coupe's handling while seeing how its 2.0-litre petrol engine, batteries, twin-electric motors and electronics could withstand the frozen conditions.
The biggest task was setting up the Polestar 1's chassis, with engineers testing different springs, dampers, anti-roll bar settings without any driving assistance systems to hide any handling failings.
Unveiled back in October 2017 at an event in Shanghai, the Polestar 1 is the first of three electrified performance cars from Volvo's EV sub-brand.
Based on a shortened version of the S90/V90's SPA platform, the carbon-fibre-bodied 2+2 grand tourer combines a turbocharged and supercharged 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder with two electric motors.
Together, they produce 450kW/1000Nm and provide for a pure-electric range of 150km.
Claimed to have a low centre of gravity and torsional stiffness 45 per cent greater than a conventional steel-bodied coupe, the Polestar 1 has been billed from day one as a 'true driver's car'.
It features a rear axle with twin electric motors that enable torque vectoring and the video appears to show the Polestar indulging in drifts a typical front-wheel drive coupe would not normally be capable of.
Polestar has already revealed that its second model, imaginatively named the '2', will be a mid-size pure-electric sedan to rival Tesla's Model 3.
The third Polestar 3, meanwhile, will be a larger battery-powered pure-electric SUV.
Set to be made as part of a limited run of just 1500 cars over three years, the Polestar 1 is priced in Europe from around $A240,000.
Unfortunately, for those in the market for a fast Swedish GT with ultra-low running costs, prepare to be disappointed.
The Scandinavian car-maker has already confirmed that the 1 will only be produced in left-hand drive, ruling it out for Australia.
The Polestar 2 and Polestar 3, on the other hand, will venture Down Under and are due to be on sale here in 2020 and 2022 respectively.
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