Do you want to see a good example of a car model that’s been positively received by the public? Take a look at the Polestar 1. The first ever stand-alone offering from Polestar, Volvo’s new high-performance brand, has yet to be produced, but it’s already receiving significant interest from the public. The overwhelming interest in the 600-horsepower plug-in hybrid coupé is now forcing Polestar executives to reconsider its initial plan to build 500 units of the sports coupé per year over the course of three years.

You’re not dreaming. The Polestar 1 is generating massive interest from the public. According to Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath, more than 5,000 people have expressed interest in buying the hybrid coupé since it made its debut in October 2017. That’s four months ago. Needless to say, the company knows all about the demand for the car. That’s why, in Ingenlath’s words, it’s doing its due diligence. “We are looking at whether we could do a higher volume than 500 units a year. We are checking that out," the Polestar CEO told Automotive News Europe. "I think there is potential to go to two shifts."

Ingenlath is referring to the planned shifts in the production of the Polestar 1 at the company’s production facility in Chengdu, China. The plant itself is still under construction and is expected to be completed sometime in the middle of this year. Under Polestar’s current plan, production of the Polestar 1 will comprise of 500 units being built per year over a schedule of three years on one shift at the factory. With the skyrocketing demand for the car, execs are now thinking about the feasibility of adding another shift when production starts.

A final decision isn’t expected to come soon, and we really shouldn’t expect one given the circumstances surrounding the model’s timetable. Production of the car hasn’t started because the facility that will be producing it hasn’t been completed yet. Add the delicate nature of the car’s build — it’s going to come with a carbon fiber body — and you can understand why the company is no rush to make a decision on the car’s production volume.

"We have a great deal of respect for the challenge we face as we bring our carbon fiber production into reality," Ingenlath said. "It will be a rather slow start, but it is needed for this complicated product."

One day in the future, Polestar might announce that it’s increasing production volume of the Polestar 1. Maybe it does; maybe it doesn’t. But that’s not the point right now. The point is that the car is generating so much demand and attention that there are already discussions about increasing its volume. That’s tremendous news for Polestar and, by extension, Volvo. It’s looking like the decision to separate the performance division and turn it into its own stand-alone brand is already paying off.

References

Polestar 1

Read our full review on the 2018 Polestar 1.