Polestar fine-tuning first production model for max driving fun

The Polestar 1 promises to be a lot of fun to drive.

Volvo's high-performance Polestar division has moved on to the next phase of validating its first production vehicle known simply as 1 -- chassis dynamics and the driver experience.

After completing crash testing and aerodynamic evaluations, the Polestar 1 is now on to the driving dynamics portion of its evaluation program. Test drivers are honing the car's steering response and torque vectoring to deliver the best driving experience possible.

"Whenever you drive Polestar 1, you should immediately feel like you are in control and that the car is ready to respond to your input, no matter what you want to do,” said Joakim Rydholm, Polestar's chief test driver. "This is a GT that needs to be easy to drive and comfortable in everyday use with its smooth and quiet hybrid drivetrain - but also ready to deliver its thrilling 600 hp and 1,000 Nm performance whenever the driver wants it.”

Once Rydholm and his team have the Polestar 1's handling dialed in, the car will graduate to the prototype phase of the development process. During that stage Polestar will build pre-production cars at its brand new factory in Chengdu, China, to ensure final specification and quality standards.

If all goes as planned, the Polestar 1 will enter regular production next year. The hybrid coupe will carry a base price of $155,000.