CarBrandLogos archive · Polestar · 2019

PolestarPolestar 1

A carbon-bodied hybrid coupe, built in small numbers to announce a brand.

Photo: Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 3.0

The story

A defining chapter in Polestar history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Polestar 1, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

Polestar had been Volvo's competition partner and performance sub-brand before being reconstituted in 2017 as a standalone marque. The Polestar 1 was its statement of intent, and it was deliberately impractical: a two-door grand tourer built at a dedicated plant in Chengdu, limited to 1,500 cars over a production run from 2019 to 2022.

Volvo Concept Coupe · TTTNIS · CC0

Design and engineering

It derived from Volvo's Concept Coupe, and the exterior by Jurgen Jose under Thomas Ingenlath kept most of that show car's proportions intact, which is rare. The body panels were carbon fibre, used to offset the weight of an unusual powertrain: a 2.0-litre twincharged four with both a supercharger and a turbocharger driving the front axle through an eight-speed automatic, and electric motors driving the rear. The result was a plug-in hybrid with a genuinely long electric range for its era and all-wheel drive from two independent sources.

Polestar, GIMS 2018, Le Grand-Saconnex · Matti Blume · CC BY-SA 4.0

Polestar 1 Special Edition IAA 2021 1X7A0151

In production

Commercially it was never meant to matter. Its job was to establish that Polestar could build a desirable car in its own right, after which the brand committed entirely to battery-electric models. A successor, the Polestar 6, has been announced.

Polestar 1 Special Edition IAA 2021 1X7A0151 · Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

2019–2022

Units built

1,500

Engine

2.0&nbsp

Body

2-door coupe

Technical specification

The Polestar 1, in detail.

Production: 2019–2022; 1,500 produced
Class: Grand tourer (S)
Body style: 2-door coupe
Layout: Front-engine, rear-motor, all-wheel drive
Engine: 2.0 L B4204T48 twincharged petrol I4
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Designer: Jürgen Jose under Thomas Ingenlath (exterior) ; Thomas Lienhart, Niklas Palm (interior)
Assembly: China: Chengdu (Polestar Plant)
Manufacturer: Polestar (Volvo Cars)