Volvo are making the headlines increasingly frequently these days, as the Swedish manufacturer continues to shake-off its fuddy-duddy image in partnership with Polestar Performance. Last week it was the M3- and C63-beating S60 Polestar that was announced, but latest rumours are of a Volvo V40 Polestar hatchback.
Volvo’s new V40 hatch will already include the powerful T5 engine at the top end of the range, but new reports out of Europe suggest the true flagship will be a new Polestar-enhanced model. Exact technical details are not currently available, but Nick Connor, Volvo’s U.K.-market managing director, has told PistonHeads.com that the Polestar-badged V40 will boast “at least” 10 percent more horsepower than the T5 model. This will put the car in the 205 – 220 kW range, and position the V40 Polestar as an obvious rival for the likes of the Audi S3 and Volkswagen Golf R, as well as a reasonable alternative to the BMW M135i and upcoming Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG.
The Swedish company will undoubtedly make several interior and exterior modifications to the V40 to make it worthy of wearing a Polestar badge on the grille. Expect sportier seats, enhanced driver instrumentation, a fuller body kit, bigger alloy wheels and a lower ride height. The brake and the suspension systems will also receive modifications to cope with the added power.
Expect the V40 and larger S60 Polestar models to be shown at the Paris Motor Show in late September.
