The Polestar 2 Performance Pack will cost just £5,000

This first fully-loaded Polestar 2 five-door lacks for little and comes with a 78kWh battery for a range that targets around 300 miles. There’s only one option: a performance pack for £5,000 which ramps up the dynamic appeal with Brembo brakes, adjustable Öhlins dampers and 20-inch forged alloy wheels – all tasty additions to go with the twin motor, 402bhp, all-wheel-drivetrain. Polestar’s pitch, you will remember, is as an electric performance brand. In total, then, you’ll be paying £54,900.

The design – very Swedish, as befits its Volvo roots – its manufacture in a new factory in China and the way the car will be sold all represent a clean-sheet start for the one-time Volvo go-faster brand. The digital retail model ditches dealers for Polestar “spaces” where test drives can be arranged, and ordering is online direct with Polestar.

Order now with a refundable £1,000 deposit and you can expect your new Polestar 2 to be delivered to your door around June 2020. Routine servicing and maintenance for the first three years, with pick-up and delivery, is included.

Less expensive versions are sure to follow later, but to start the Polestar ball rolling your £50k gets you the flagship model equipped with the latest safety, comfort, convenience and connectivity features.

Two feature packs (likely to be options on cheaper versions) are included as standard. The Pilot package comprises a suite of safety and autonomous driving aids such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping and collision mitigation systems. The Plus package meanwhile adds features like panoramic sunroof, pixel headlights, Harman Kardon sound system, inductive phone charging for and heated wiper blades, steering wheel and seats.

Connectivity and infotainment are taken care of with the first application of Android Automotive OS, offering Google Assistant, Google Maps and the Google Play Store for what Polestar promises will be a seamless digital experience.

With no test drives so far, Polestar’s claims of dynamic engagement remain as claims, but clearly work has gone on to make Polestar 2 a driver’s car, as shown by the sophisticated nature of the optional Performance Pack.

“We spent a lot of time obsessing over the finest details of the chassis set-up to find the car’s sweet spot,” says Polestar chassis development chief Joakim Rydholm. “We call it the ‘Golden Ride’ – comfortable but focused, we want you to feel positively connected to the road, the car alive and communicative, but balanced and predictable. It really is unlike most electric cars.”

Polestar 2 is the mainstream follow-up to Polestar 1 which introduced the reinvented electric performance brand in 2017 in the form of a limited-volume, super-expensive 600 horsepower hybrid coupe. Polestar 2 in contrast is pure electric and based on a version of the architecture that underpins cars like the Volvo XC40. There are motors back and front and as well as the 402 bhp there’s 660Nm (487lb ft) of torque going to all four wheels – sizeable outputs for a five-door hatch. 0-62mph acceleration is tipped to take around 5 seconds.