Polestar 1

Polestar has spun off from Volvo as a standalone brand much like what happened to DS Automobiles and Genesis and for their first outing since its independence, they've introduced us to a one of a kind PHEV grand tourer that made their heads turned with its unique blend of luxury, performance, and ecology, all into one clever masterpiece. It's called the Polestar 1 and it's time to flip the "why card" on Polestar's first vehicle since it spun off from Volvo.

2020 Polestar 1

Although Polestar gained independence from Volvo, their first-ever Polestar 1 still carries some Volvo design inside and out, probably because it was heavily influenced from the Volvo Coupe Concept from 2013, and because it has lots and lots of Volvo stuff on it, it's hard to say if Polestar did gained independence from Volvo by making a PHEV grand tourer that looks a lot like a Volvo but anyway, what's it all about the Polestar 1?

2020 Polestar 1

2020 Polestar 1 interior

The Polestar 1, the first of their kind, starts at a very expensive 1,352,000 Krona before taxes and fees included and because it was handcrafted at the Polestar Production Centre in Chengdu, China, depending on where you are living, that price can be jumped up and in the case of the USA, which is run by Mr. Tariff Man himself and thanks to the ongoing US-China trade war, the Polestar 1's price tag will surely double it by the time it gets there. Ouch.

Anyway, while we are not suppose to talk about the controversial pricing and the fact that is "Made in China", much like everything else around you, there's something special about the Polestar 1 despite the Volvo connection lurking through its Swedish-Chinese steel and that goes to the performance side where this PHEV GT coupe matters.

2020 Polestar 1

First off, the Polestar 1 is powered by a 341PS 2.0L twin-charged engine bolted to two electric motors and an integrated starter generator. Together, they produced an AMG-leveling 608PS of power and a meaty 1,000Nm of torque. That's Brooklands territory in PHEV standards and that sounds pretty cool and there's more about the Polestar 1's unique powertrain.

Thanks to its 34kWh battery packs, which is the largest at this moment in time, the Polestar 1's electric range is up to 150km, which is enough to get from your fancy home in Muntinlupa to the Ayala Greenfield Golf Course to play golf during weekends and then back home with some juice left for your trip to the office.

In terms of dynamics, the Polestar 1 features torque vectoring courtesy of its planetary gear sets from the electric motors and along with its highly sophisticated suspension and chassis setups made for a grand tourer like this, the Polestar 1 feels like it came from another world and despite being PHEV, driving one of these reminds you of the Holy Trinity that ruled the roads with its naked speed courtesy of its hybrid power built for performance rather than Prius-esque ecology. Of course, it may sound crude but ecology and performance is what the Polestar 1 excels best. Nearly perfect but very promising.

The Polestar 1, despite the Volvo connection even though Polestar spun off as a standalone brand of the Volvo Car Group, now run by China's Geely, shows that the new kid on the block has a very promising future. From its unique powertrain, ecology, performance, dynamics, and luxury, the Polestar 1 is worth the envy for everyone who wish to have one in their garage someday, if they have the funds to buy one online.

Photo: Polestar