Vanaf 2021 is Polestar een opzichzelfstaand automerk. Voorheen was Polestar het performance team van Volvo. De Volvo S60 en V60 zijn in de P3 variant geleverd in een Polestar uitvoering.
We’re POLESTAR
“…the goal is always the same: To deliver best possible results. No matter what.”
Polestar is defined by an ambition to be among the top contenders in world motorsport and to bring forward the strength and agility inherent in Volvo cars. Whether it’s winning championships, or developing performance cars, the goal is always the same: To deliver best possible results. No matter what.
WHEN DRIVING MATTERS
“All Polestar products are developed for people like ourselves – for those who appreciate driving with full control.”
Polestar is about motorsport, and motorsport is about driving. That’s why we focus on one thing only: optimising driveability.
A Polestar vehicle – be it a race car or road car – is always designed to deliver optimal grip and control. The race track and open road may be far apart, but both are equally demanding. Regardless of surface or purpose, optimal driveability is what makes a driver feel safe and confident behind the wheel. All Polestar products are developed for people like ourselves – for those who appreciate driving with full control.
In other words, when driving matters.
ALL ROADS, ALL CONDITIONS, ALL YEAR ROUND
“In our minds, this is the optimal performance car.”
A performance car is by definition a fine-tuned instrument, where every component has the purpose of maximising driveability and control, ensuring both an exciting and safe drive.
The S60 and V60 Polestar are the result of nearly two decades of racing experience and know-how from exploring the limits of Volvo cars. Together with Volvo’s own engineers and their expertise of building cars for the open road, we have developed a performance car for real life. A car that performs on all roads, in all conditions, all year round. In our minds, this is the optimal performance car.
MEET THE POLESTAR VOLVOS
“A performance car for real life. Not only for that perfect sunny Sunday.”
Building a race car with the only aim to be as fast as possible on the track is one thing. Developing a road car with optimal driveability for all conditions and all roads, is a completely different challenge. The key to any great performance car is a strong and responsive chassis. But this is not the whole story. In order to achieve optimal driveability, everything needs to work together and in tune. The engine, aero, brakes, transmission, tyres, suspension, all must create, what a race engineer would call, a completely balanced package.
In order to get the car that we wanted, our team of engineers made over 70 modifications and upgrades to the original S60 and V60. Tyres for both summer and winter driving were tested and carefully selected. In partnership with our long time suspension partner Öhlins®, we developed bespoke shock absorbers at a technology level normally found on supercars. To produce a broader torque-band and more power, the T6 engine got a new twin-scroll turbo, a new intercooler, a full flow active exhaust system and a completely re-calibrated engine management system. The transmission was calibrated to give the driver more control. Faster gear shifts and increased driving dynamics have been achieved through changes in the all-wheel drive system. Stopping power was optimised through a complete upgrade of the brake system, including 6-piston Brembo® brake callipers and 371mm ventilated brake discs. Add a calibrated aero package and a supportive interior and you will experience a completely balanced car. The Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar are real drivers cars made for everyday use and for all roads and conditions. Not just for that perfect sunny Sunday.
LEARNINGS FROM THE RACE TRACK
“The best cars never surprise the driver. They are predictable and consistent.”
Nowhere on earth is the traffic as intense and demanding as on the race track. The driver’s attention and their responses are put to the test in the most extreme of driving conditions. There are cars only inches away, all around you, and at speeds most of us never will experience, all fighting for the same ideal line in order to get to the top.
The driver has to be focused on a lot of things, not only the competition. The tyre
condition has to be closely monitored as well as changing track and weather conditions, the engineer’s communication over the radio and the race officials’ warnings, all forcing the driver to make split-second decisions. Under these extreme conditions the driver must be able to trust the car fully. It must provide instant response and feedback on all inputs the driver makes with the steering wheel, pedals and all other instruments. The best cars never surprise the driver. They are predictable and consistent. That’s why the driver wins races. Unexpected situations will always occur. This goes for both the race track and on the open road. It’s in these situations that the car must respond exactly as you as a driver expect it to. We call this driver confidence. Or as Thed Björk, one of our racing drivers puts it: “The car has to behave as I expect it to. If I have to struggle
with the car, it’s not part of me and I will not feel confident enough to push the car and myself to places we haven’t been before. And then I can’t win. Simple as that”.
IT’S AS SAFE AS ANY OTHER VOLVO
“…it’s likely for you to think, that you are driving the safest road car in the world.”
In 1927 the founders of Volvo, decided to make really strong cars that could cope with our rough country roads. But strength alone wasn’t enough. They also had a vision: “Cars are driven by people, so the guiding principle behind everything we make at Volvo is – and must remain – safety.” Our goal is that, by 2020, nobody shall be seriously injured or killed in a new Volvo. In order to help us achieve this goal, and in keeping with our philosophy, the S60 and V60 Polestar maintain the same level of safety technologies. Add high-end racing engineering, which ensures optimised control, stopping power, and responsiveness and it’s likely for you to think, that you are driving the safest road car in the world.