Pre-orders for Polestar's first ever performance car, aptly called the Polestar 1, recently went live for prospective customers. While demand has been high, pricing details hadn't yet been confirmed – until now. At the Beijing Auto Show, Polestar finally confirmed how much the plug-in hybrid will cost – and it won't be cheap. In the US, the Polestar 1 will be sold for $155,000, while Europeans will be able to buy the hybrid performance coupe for 155,000 Euros.

An all-inclusive monthly subscription service will also be available, with details to be announced at a later date. At $155,000, the Polestar 1 costs around the same as the BMW i8 and Acura NSX hybrid performance coupes. The Polestar 1 is more powerful than its rivals with 600-hp on tap, and also has the longest electric range of any hybrid car at 90 miles. Its limited production run of just 500 models may also explain how Polestar is justifying its asking price. But paying $155,000 for a car related to Volvo is still hard to swallow – especially when you consider it costs nearly as much as a Porsche 911 Turbo.

So far, over 7,000 people in 18 countries have placed a deposit to pre-order the Polestar 1. "We have seen a strong initial response from our first customers," said Polestar's CEO Thomas Ingenlath. "This gives us confidence that our brand has a bright future. In 2019 already we will launch our next car, the Polestar 2 – a mid-sized fully-electric car which is well developed in its engineering phase. We will follow that up with the Polestar 3, a stunning electric SUV with a beautiful aerodynamic silhouette that is already advanced in its design phase." Pre-production testing for the Polestar 1 will start by the end of the year before customer deliveries start next year.