Polestar opens first factory in China
Volvo’s electric car subsidiary Polestar opened its first production facility today. At the new facility in Chengdu, China, the 441 kW Polestar 1 PHEV coupe is manufactured for China and export markets.
Polestar is planning to produce 500 units per year over a production cycle of three years to start with. The first customer deliveries are to be made before the end of this year. The Polestar 1 is based on Volvo technology and also incorporates some design elements from the S90 saloon, for example. The two-litre petrol engine also comes from Volvo, but Polestar’s hybrid components go beyond the existing modular range.
While Volvo’s PHEV models have a maximum system output of 300 kW (160 kW from the four-cylinder), Polestar 1 offers 441 kW. At 150 kilometres, the Grand Tourer’s electric range is expected to be significantly higher than that of most other PHEVs.
With its factory, the Volvo offshoot has also taken a risk, because with prices starting from 155,000 euros in the basic version, customers will expect error-free production quality. For this reason – and to establish China as a production location for high-quality cars – Polestar is using auditors with at least ten years of experience in quality control.
In addition to the high production quality, the Polestar Production Center is said to be one of the most environmentally friendly car factories in China. Later in the year, the Swedish-Chinese company says it will achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold status.
Following the construction of Polestar 1 in Chengdu, production of the Polestar 2, the brand’s first all-electric model, will start in Luqiao at the beginning of 2020. An SUV-like Polestar 3 is expected to follow, but no potential production plant has yet been named. At the latest by the end of 2022, when the production of Polestar 1 expires, capacities would be available in Chengdu.
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