Volvo Polestar range to include diesel and hybrid models – report

Autocar reports that Polestar is aiming to ramp up its portfolio of tuned Volvo models, having made its name working on touring car teams for the Swedish brand. Increasing influence within the brand means that Polestar is now looking at an array of wide-ranging options to bring to market.

Volvo’s new Drive-E engine platform has been developed with close input from Polestar from the outset. No engine in this family will be bigger than 2.0-litres or four cylinders, meaning Polestar will need to look away from traditional performance options such as six- or eight-cylinder engines.

Polestar chief Hans Baath said there's no problem with making a smaller capacity engine suitable for a performance application - particularly when it is backed by hybrid technology.

“Power output [of the smaller engines] is not a problem – there’s so much ‘green’ technology that is from racing, such as low friction and roller cams – and electrification is logical because low-end torque is the weak spot in downsized engines,” said Baath. “It’s also interesting that we can use electrification to produce four-wheel-drive Volvo models.”

Future hybrid fast Volvos are likely to be all wheel drive, with highly tuned four-cylinder engines powering the front wheels and an electric engine/battery pack combo powering the rear wheels.

Baath also said that not all future Polestar engines will be petrol-powered, with diesel under consideration

“We absolutely see a performance diesel Polestar model in the future,” he said.

It’s fair to say that Polestar’s range will no longer be a two-gun salute with the current V60 Estate (not sold here) and S60 sedan. Instead, the performance arm will look to expand throughout the entire Volvo range - indeed, the first Polestar model was the now-extinct C30 hatch.

“We are looking into more car models,” Baath said.