Polestar 1

Make
Polestar
Segment
Coupe

Volvo and Geely can make all the noise they want about their new electrified performance brand, but it doesn't count for much until it actually starts producing cars. And that's just what it's now done. Almost.

The first examples of the Polestar 1 have begun rolling off the assembly line at the new dedicated Polestar Production Centre in Chengdu, China. They're ostensibly fully complete vehicles, only they're not bound for customers. They're "tooling try-out" (TT) cars, some of the last pre-production prototypes built to make sure everything is running smoothly down the line.

"It's great to see how we have progressed from showing the Polestar 1 for the first time in 2017, to now having our beautiful new manufacturing facility up and running with the TT cars being tested in and around the plant," said CEO Thomas Ingenlath. "Now we enable our loyal customers to secure their final specification for their car, knowing that we are going to give them an awesome GT that is built to the highest levels of quality, fit and finish."

So far Polestar has built about 50 of them. Some may be used for crash testing or test drives, but in the end, most will probably be scrapped.

The new factory isn't even finished yet, and is "due to be inaugurated later in 2019." Then Polestar can start producing Polestar 1 hybrid coupes and Polestar 2 electric fastbacks for customers are officially put the reborn brand on the market. A Polestar 3 electric crossover is already confirmed to follow and take on the likes of the Tesla Model X and Model Y as well as the Jaguar I-Pace, Audi e-tron, Mercedes EQC, and forthcoming BMW iX3. For now, though, it's all about the Polestar 1, which was first revealed back in 2017 with 600 horsepower and an impressive (for a hybrid) all-electric range of 93 miles.