Lightning fast Volvos set for SA

Volvo Cars together with Polestar, the performance brand owned by the Swedish carmaker, have announced the launch of the fastest cars they have ever made – the new 270 kW S60 sedan and V60 sports wagon.

The new S60 Polestar has been confirmed for limited South African introduction in 2016. The new car undertakes the 0-100 km/h sprint in just 4.7 seconds and is limited to a top speed of 250 km/h, powered by a specially-enhanced version of Volvo’s award-winning four cylinder Drive-E powertrain.

Polestar has taken an original S60 with a highly-advanced 2.0-litre four cylinder Drive-E engine and added a bigger turbo, a supercharger, 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.

The twin-charged engine churns out 270 kW and 470 Nm. On top of this new performance-optimised equipment, Polestar has also reduced the car’s weight.

The Volvo S60 Polestar is now 24 kg lighter over the front axle and 20 kg lighter in total compared to the previous model year.

“These cars are properly quick,” says Niels Möller, Chief Operating Officer, Polestar.

“But they are more than that. They combine Polestar’s 20 years of racing pedigree with Volvo’s inherent pragmatism and engineering heritage. These are very fast cars that you can use every day of the year.”

The two new models also mark the globalisation of the Polestar brand. The first road legal Polestar cars were launched in 2014 to limited markets, including South Africa.

Today, Polestar is delighted to announce that it is expanding the number of markets where Polestar models will be sold from 13 to 47 and doubling production volume from 750 cars per year up to 1 500.

Both cars also trace their heritage to the Volvo S60 Polestar TC1, the all-new FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) race car from Polestar Cyan Racing. The new road cars use the same base chassis, engine and philosophy of the team behind their development.

“While used in vastly different areas, 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 whether it’s about winning a championship or being able to enjoy a safe, functional and funto-drive car all year round,” says Thed Björk, Polestar Cyan Racing race and development driver.

The race and road cars feature a further-developed four-cylinder Drive-E engine, with the two-litre, twin charged engine of the Volvo S60 and V60 Polestar producing 270 kW and 470 Nm.

Despite the increased performance, fuel consumption and emissions are at a class-leading level of 7.8-litres per 100 km and 179 g/km CO2, further proving the efficiency of the Volvo’s Drive-E powertrain.

Henrik Fries, Vice President R&D, Polestar, concludes: “All changes made to the car are about improving drivability and efficiency. The base of the new engine carries motorsport technology with solutions like 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.”