Ford has SVT; Chevrolet has GM Performance Parts; Dodge has Mopar – Sadly, the world now has one less automotive pairing made in horsepower heaven. Polestar has officially become its own brand and will no longer build souped-up models for Volvo. Rather, Polestar will build high-performance electric vehicles that compete with the likes of Tesla. No hints were given as to when Polestar expects to launch its first model, what that vehicle will look like, or what its range will be.

Oddly enough, Polestar made the official announcement via an Instagram post. The minimalistic post features a black background with white font reading, “The End.” There isn’t even a description to accompany the melodramatic image. As for its corporate ownership, Polestar remains wholly owned by Geely, the same Chinese company which parents Volvo, but will no longer sit under the Volvo umbrella. Volvo’s Senior VP of Design, Thomas Ingenlath, is now Polestar’s CEO, assisted by Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Goodman, Volvo’s now-former Senior VP of Corporate Communications.

Polestar’s vision was best encapsulated in June by Volvo’s president and CEO, Hakan Samuelsson, in the company’s initial annulment of the split, saying, “Polestar will be a credible competitor in the emerging global market for high-performance electrified cars. With Polestar, we are able to offer electrified cars to the world’s most demanding, progressive drivers in all market segments.”

The next few years will certainly be interesting for this newly hatched automaker.

References

Volvo V60 Polestar

Read our full review on the Volvo V60 Polestar.

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