Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, has announced the launch of the quickest car it has ever made – the new 367 hp Polestar V60 estate.
It sprints from 0 to 62 mph in 4.8 seconds and is limited to a top speed of 155 mph, powered by a specially enhanced version of Volvo’s award-winning four-cylinder Drive-E powertrain.
The performance engineers at Polestar have added a bigger turbo, new conrods, new camshafts, a larger air intake and a higher-capacity fuel pump to augment the engine and matched it with a BorgWarner four-wheel-drive system and the new Polestar-optimised eight-speed Geartronic automatic gearbox.
On top of this new performance-optimised equipment, Polestar has radically reduced the car’s weight. The V60 Polestar is 24 kilos lighter over the front axle and 20 kilos lighter in total compared with the previous version.
“These cars are properly quick,” said Niels Möller, Chief Operating Officer, Polestar. “But they are more than that. They combine Polestar’s 20-year racing pedigree with Volvo’s inherent pragmatism and engineering heritage. These are very quick cars that you can use every day of the year.”
This new model also marks the globalisation of the Polestar brand.
The first road-legal Polestar cars were launched in 2014 to limited markets. Today, Polestar is delighted to announce that it is expanding the number of markets where a Polestar will be sold from 13 to 47, and doubling production volume from 750 cars a year to up to 1500 (these figures include the S60 Polestar, which won’t be sold in the UK).
The V60 Polestar traces its heritage to the new Volvo S60 Polestar TC1, the all-new FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) race car from Polestar Cyan Racing. The new road car uses the same base chassis and engine, and the philosophy of the team behind the development.
“While used in vastly different ways, these cars share more than just technology. The core philosophy is the same, developed by people with the same passion. It is about creating performance that can be used in all situations, no matter if it’s about winning a championship or being able to enjoy a safe, functional and fun-to-drive car all year,” said Thed Björk, Polestar Cyan Racing race and development driver.
The race and road car feature a further developed four-cylinder Drive-E engine, with the two-litre, twin charged engine of the Volvo V60 Polestar producing 367 horsepower and 470 Nm. The changes compared with the standard T6 engine include a bigger turbo, new conrods, new camshafts, a larger air intake and a higher-capacity fuel pump.
Despite the increased performance, fuel consumption and emissions are at a class-leading level of 34.9 mpg (8.1 l/100 km) and 186 g/km of CO2, further proving the efficiency of Volvo’s Drive-E powertrain.
Part of the improved performance, and especially handling, compared with the previous model years is an optimised weight distribution.
“All changes made to the car are about improving drivability and efficiency. The base of the new engine carries motorsport technology, with solutions such as the combination of turbo and supercharger, lightweight materials and more. This works hand-in-hand with our core philosophy and has enabled us to evolve the Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar,” said Henrik Fries, Vice President R&D, Polestar.
Other new features on the car include new 20” lightweight alloy wheels, Polestar-calibrated electro-assisted power steering and a new slotted front brake disc of 371 millimetres.
Prices for the new V60 Polestar will be announced at a later date, and first UK deliveries are expected in Q4 2016.
Explore the new Volvo V60 and S60 Polestar at: http://cars.polestar.com
Technical overview
Performance
Volvo V60 Polestar
0-100 km/h 4.8 sec
0-200 km/h 17.4 sec
0-60 mph 4.5 sec
0-120 mph 15.8 sec
Top speed 250 km/h*/155 mph*
* = Electronically limited
Chassis
Adjustable Polestar Öhlins shock absorbers
Front strut brace with carbon fibre enforcement
Stiffer top mount front and rear
Stiffer tie blade bushing
Polestar-optimised steering
80% stiffer springs compared with V60 T6 R-Design
Front: 60 N/mm
Rear: 72 N/mm (V60)
Tyres and rims
Michelin Pilot Super Sport 245/35 ZR20 (95Y) XL
New Polestar bespoke alloy wheels, 20×8”
Engine
4-cylinder inline engine with turbo and supercharger
1969 cc
270 kW (367 hp DIN / 362 hp SAE) @ 6000 rpm
470 Nm (347 lb ft) @ 3100-5100 rpm
Max 7000 rpm
Max boost 2.0 bar
Polestar 3.0” stainless full-flow active exhaust system with twin 3.5” tail pipes
New turbo
New conrods
New camshaft
New fuel pump
New air filter
Larger air intake
Transmission
BorgWarner four-wheel drive
Polestar calibration for more rear torque dynamic distribution
Polestar-calibrated stability control system
8-speed Geartronic automatic gearbox with paddle shifters
Faster gearshifts
Curve-hold functionality
Off-throttle functionality
Optimised shift precision
Brakes
Front: Polestar/Brembo 6 piston brake calipers
371×32 mm ventilated and floating Brembo discs
Rear: 302×22 mm ventilated discs
Kerb weight
1796 kg / 3960 lb (V60)
Features
Launch control
Sport+ mode
Aerodynamics
Polestar front splitter corners
Polestar rear spoiler
Polestar diffuser
Interior and exterior
Sport seats with charcoal, nubuck, blue thread and Polestar imprint
Steering wheel with blue thread and leather/nubuck
Carbon fibre centre stack
Nubuck inlay in doors
Nubuck centre armrest
Polestar gearshift knob
Polestar carpets with blue thread
Polestar sport pedals and footrest
Polestar door sills
Equipment
A sunroof is the only optional extra (all others included in base specification)
Colours
Rebel Blue
Onyx Black
Bright Silver
Ice White
Fuel tank
67.5 litres
Fuel consumption (combined)
8.1 l/100 km (V60)
CO2 emission
186 g/km (V60)
-ends-
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About Polestar
Polestar is the performance brand of Volvo Cars. The company was founded as a motorsport team in 1996 and has been successful in numerous championships, racing with various Volvo models. In 2009, Polestar started to offer performance-related products and thereby intensified the business relations with Volvo Cars. The first performance cars, based on Volvo’s S60 and V60, were launched in 2014. In 2015, Volvo Cars acquired the performance unit of Polestar, as a strong commitment towards a credible performance offer and with the mission to define future premium performance.
Volvo Car Group in 2015
For the 2015 financial year, Volvo Car Group recorded an operating profit of 6,620 MSEK (2,128 MSEK in 2014). Revenue over the period amounted to 164,043 MSEK (137,590 MSEK). In 2015, global sales reached a record 503,127 cars, an increase of 8 per cent versus 2014. The record sales and operating profit cleared the way for Volvo Car Group to continue investing in its global transformation plan.
About Volvo Car Group
Volvo has been in operation since 1927. Today, Volvo Cars is one of the most well-known and respected car brands in the world, with sales of 503,127 in 2015 in about 100 countries. Volvo Cars has been under the ownership of the Zhejiang Geely Holding (Geely Holding) of China since 2010. It formed part of the Swedish Volvo Group until 1999, when the company was bought by Ford Motor Company of the US. In 2010, Volvo Cars was acquired by Geely Holding.
As of December 2015, Volvo Cars had almost 29,000 employees worldwide. Volvo Cars’ head office, product development, marketing and administration functions are mainly located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo Cars’ head office for China is located in Shanghai. The company’s main car production plants are located in Gothenburg (Sweden), Ghent (Belgium), Chengdu and Daqing (China), while engines are manufactured in Skövde (Sweden) and Zhangjiakou (China), and body components in Olofström (Sweden).
