First Polestar 1 prototypes seen ahead of customer deliveries

Polestar chose to increase the availability of the model at launch from an original 12 countries due to strong popularity.

The 1 made its European debut at the Geneva motor show in March and has been on a brand-building world tour before its public launch. Once production begins, 500 examples are due to be sold each year.

Before the opening of order books, Polestar said more than 6000 potential customers had expressed an interest in the car.

The 1 has an all-carbonfibre body based on a shortened version of the Volvo S90's platform. It will produce 592bhp from a front-mounted 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine and twin electric motors on the rear axle.

It will make more European appearances before heading to the US and then China, where a special manufacturing facility capable of handling carbonfibre structures is already under construction near Volvo’s existing plant in Chengdu.

According to Ingenlath, who also remains Volvo’s design director, Polestar will become Volvo’s “technological spearhead” that, after the 1 hits the market, will make only electric performance cars.

The company is preparing for an early 2020 launch of the 2 hatchback saloon, which bears a very close relationship to Ingenlath’s Concept 40.2 that has already been displayed at motor shows. An SUV, the 3, will arrive after that.

The 2 (imagined by Autocar below), which will be all-steel and sit on Volvo’s smaller CMA platform, will go into production in late 2019 ahead of a 2020 launch. It will be offered in both left and right-hand drive. Ingenlath won’t say where the car will be built but is keen to point out its suitability as a rival to the Tesla Model 3.

Polestar is understood to still be deciding on details of its powertrain design, although two electric motors (one front, one rear) are suggested. The 2 should cost “from €40,000” and have a practical driving range of about 200 miles.

The 3 (imagined by Autocar above), a radically styled, low-roofed SUV that will use the next generation of Volvo’s SPA big car platform and have an aluminium-and-steel body construction, is understood to be heading for a 2022 launch and is likely to be produced in Chengdu.

When all three models are selling as anticipated, Polestar volume could reach 80,000-90,000 cars annually (with the 1 accounting for 500 and the 2 for around 50,000). Ingenlath says further models are being considered in segments that wouldn’t be mainstream enough to suit Volvo.

As well as developing rule-breaking new models, Polestar is working on a bespoke marketing set-up aimed at increasing convenience for owners and moving beyond the traditionally adversarial customer-dealer relationship. Cars will be paid for by a monthly subscription that includes insurance, servicing and possibly customer hire days (in case they need a van or fancy a sports car for a few days, for instance). The vehicles will be picked up from customers’ homes or workplaces and delivered back after servicing.