What's this then?

This is the Polestar 1.

Sounds like a satellite.

Well, it's not. It's a big, sexy coupe, built by Volvo's high-performance spinoff brand Polestar. It will go on sale in 2019, be built in China and it will have 600hp.

Hang on, how much?

Yup, 600hp, and 1,000Nm of torque, thanks to a plugin hybrid powertrain that mixes and matches a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine and a plugin hybrid battery pack. Polestar claims the car will go for an impressive 90-miles on just the batteries when fully charged.

The Polestar 1 is based on the same SPA chassis as the current S90 and XC90, but it gets a unique all-carbon-fibre body, which cuts weight and ramps up torsional stiffness. That'll help the clever Continuously Controlled Electronic Suspension (CESi) advanced chassis technology, which has been developed by Swedish damping specialist Ohlins.

Thomas Ingenlath, Chief Executive Officer of Polestar said; "Polestar 1 is the first car to carry the Polestar badge on the bonnet. A beautiful GT with amazing technology packed into it - a great start for our new Polestar brand. All future cars from Polestar will feature a fully electric drivetrain, delivering on our brand vision of being the new standalone electric performance brand."

When can I buy one?

Well, order books open on 17 October, but you can't really buy one as such. Polestar's plan is to have 100 per cent online sales, with a subscription service instead of outright purchasing. You pay a monthly fee (no deposit) and that covers everything from insurance to maintenance, and you can even use other Volvo or Polestar models if you need to empty the garage or buy a sofa.

Hang on, other Polestar models?

Oh yes, Polestar is already planning a smaller all-battery vehicle to compete with the Tesla Model 3, plus a mid-size SUV based on the same all-electric platform.

Neil Briscoe - 17 Oct 2017