Polestar 1: We're About to Drive a 619-hp Plug-in Hybrid Marvel

It’s no coincidence that The Car Guide is in San Francisco, California to test drive the all-new Polestar 1.

This is the Swedish brand’s first-ever vehicle, a plug-in hybrid grand touring coupe, and it comes from an automaker (Volvo) that hopes to bust the traditional car ownership model much like Tesla, whose headquarters and main factory are located in Silicon Valley near San Francisco.

The roads of this world-renowned EV paradise will be our playground to discover the concept-like Polestar 1, which combines a sleek carbon fibre body with a modified version of Volvo’s Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) seen on current 60- and 90-series cars.

Engineers have reduced the weight by 230 kilograms and increased torsional rigidity by 45 percent compared with a similar model. Under the hood is a fantastic powertrain that delivers a total of 619 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque from a turbocharged and supercharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine mated to two rear-mounted electric motors.

Handling is enhanced by a double-wishbone suspension featuring acclaimed Öhlins shocks, plus Akebono high-performance brakes with six-piston front and four-piston rear callipers. Pirelli P Zero tires are mounted on 21-inch wheels.

Oh, we almost forgot: there’s also a 34-kWh battery that provides a range of 112 kilometres in EV mode. It can be fully charged in less than an hour using a 50-kW charging station.

Knowing Polestar’s expertise in the realm of performance and driving dynamics, we’re very excited about this short test drive. Come back later this week for our first impressions of the Polestar 1, which will go on sale in Canada starting at $199,000.