Polestar sets up R&D shop in UK as it looks to the future
It'll be a vital part of developing models beyond Polestar 3.
Polestar's first car hasn't even gone on sale yet, but already the electrified Volvo spinoff is expanding its efforts in research and development.
Polestar announced on Wednesday that it will establish a new R&D facility in Coventry, England. Bolstering the R&D staff that's already hard at work in Sweden, the UK facility will start with 60 engineers, expanding as time goes on.
"Polestar's role as a technology spearhead requires new and developing skills in low-volume, light-weight, multi-material performance car engineering, and the new UK operation will allow us to take the next steps towards our future cars ," said Hans Pehrson, head of R&D at Polestar, in a statement. "The team that will kick start the new UK R&D subsidiary is already well-versed in Polestar engineering philosophy, and we will expand the initial team further during the course of 2019."
These aren't fresh faces off the street, as Pehrson's quote notes. The UK team already has Polestar development work under its belt, but there's plenty of work left to be done. In its release, the automaker notes that this group will work on future vehicles "beyond Polestar 3." While we're not entirely sure what that entails at this point, Polestar will undoubtedly reveal more details in the future as we draw closer to each car's debut.
The first Polestar to hit the market will be the Polestar 1, a plug-in hybrid six-figure super coupe with 600 horsepower and an estimated 93 miles of all-electric range. Following that is the Polestar 2, a rectilinear electric hatchback with an Android-based infotainment system, 408 horsepower and a US range estimated around 275 miles. All future Polestar models will be fully electric, too.
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