► Volvo working on second Polestar model
► Go-faster V40 planned
► Target: A45 AMG hot hatch
Volvo is believed to be working on its second high-performance model – the V40 Polestar hot hatch.
It’s designed to be a premium pocket rocket to rival the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG, according to hints dropped to CAR by Volvo’s UK boss.
Why Volvo is plotting a V40 Polestar
Nick Connor, managing director Volvo Car UK, said the Polestar go-faster brand had scope for expansion. To date the Swedish race team with close links to Volvo has produced only the 346bhp S60 and V60 Polestar twins to dramatic – if leftfield – effect.
‘I would like to see more Polestar products,’ he told CAR. ‘They show our engineering prowess. I’d like to see a V40 Polestar. There’s a clear demand for that – we’ve seen what Mercedes has done with the A45 AMG.’
We would anticipate a highly tuned 2.0-litre turbo, developing upwards of 300bhp (today’s most powerful V40 has 242bhp); four-wheel drive is a dead cert and is available on the platform.
Is Polestar being lined up as a full alternative to the Germans’ AMG, M and RS performance divisions?
Not quite. ‘It’s right to have one or two performance products, but we won’t stretch it too much,’ said Connor.
Sounds like Volvo knows which way its bread is buttered. It has a long history of doing occasionally spiced-up estates, but has never deviated too far from its stylish and sensible family transport roots.
Click here to read our scoop on the new 2016 Volvo S90 and V90.