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Volvo insists Polestar will remain ‘dynamic and independent’ despite buy-out

Volvo Cars performance brand Polestar will remain "dynamic and independent", according to the president and chief executive of Volvo Cars, Håkan Samuelsson.


Polestar was previously run as a separate tuning house for Volvo Cars, but the greater Swedish company (which is itself owned by Chinese company Geely) bought 100 per cent of Polestar in July this year.

A release from the company posits Samuelsson as claiming that Polestar will "control its own product strategy, research and development, we well as marketing and sales". Essentially, it looks like Polestar will be to Volvo what AMG is to Mercedes-Benz.

"I am keen for Polestar to remain as entrepreneurial as possible," said Samuelsson. "We want Polestar to build on its racing heritage and strengthen its brand by pushing the limits in terms of engineering and technology. The best way to achieve this was for it to work as an independent unit."

The company claims that Polestars two areas of business - fully developed bespoke cars such as the S60 and V60 Polestar, and parts/accessories for more mainstream models, a la the XC60 T6 R-Design model with Polestar tuning and styling bits - will "be expanded further and continue to be tied closely with the motorsport programs in terms of technical development.

However, Volvo has suggested in the past that motorsport may not play a part in the brand's future, suggesting that the notion of racing Volvo cars didn't marry well with the luxury intent of the brand.

That said, Polestar can run its own, er, race in that regard. The company has confirmed that Polestar will "continue its motorsport activity in the 2016 Scandinavian Touring Car Championship", while it will also keep its V8 Supercars strategy in place in Australia.

Volvo Cars Australia managing director, Kevin McCann, confirmed on the eve of the Sandown 500 race this weekend that Volvo would continue its involvement in V8 Supercars in Australia via Volvo Polestar Racing.

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