A 409bhp 'Polestar Engineered' Volvo S60 Is On The Way

If you were worried that the future of Polestar was going to be all about jolly expensive super EVs, we have some news you may find heartening. Volvo’s performance sub-brand is going to have…its own sub-brand. If we don’t see at least one Inception meme in the comments, we’re going to be disappointed.

It’s called Polestar Engineered, which Volvo dubs an “upgraded electrified performance offer”. The new arrangement will see Polestar work its magic specifically on the ‘60’ range of cars.

The first car to be given the treatment is the incoming S60 in its T8 guise, but don’t go thinking this is just going to involve a light fettle and a few badges: the recipe sounds quite serious. OK, so with 409bhp and the 494b ft on offer the 2.0-litre hybrid powertrain is only slightly pokier and a little torquier than before (increases of 14bhp and 22lb ft, made possible via software changes that also increase efficiency), but Polestar isn’t mucking around when it comes to suspension.

Like the old S60 and V60 Polestars, the new car will receive plush adjustable Öhlins shock absorbers. In fact, they’re the same ones fitted to the Polestar 1 - the S60 PE has borrowed them along with the EV’s strut brace.

Brembo mono-block brake calipers have been added, as have slotted discs plus pads with “increased heat tolerance”. They’re finished in gold, as are the seatbelts. Lovely.

The whole shebang is finished off with black chrome exhaust pipes, and a smattering of Polestar logos.

Expect to see the car in full when the S60 range as a whole is revealed next week. It’ll be followed by Polestar Engineered versions of the V60 and XC60 in 2019.