Report: Volvo To Announce V40 Polestar

2016 Volvo V40 (Credit: Volvo )

Not that long ago, Volvo was a brand people glossed over. It had stagnated and languished under Ford ownership, leading some to wonder if it would survive. Those days have passed and now the Swedes have gone crazy in all the right ways. Case in point: Volvo reportedly is going to launch yet another high-performance Polestar model.

The V40 is currently Volvo’s smallest wagon, so it makes perfect sense why the thing needs to be modified into a mean machine. After all, who can’t resist a fast wagon? This information comes via Autocar from an interview it conducted with Volvo UK boss Nick Connor.

Connor said that the company is hungry for more Polestar performance models, especially a hot version of the V40. Volvo has launched a few Polestar models in limited numbers: the C30 hatchback (which is now end-of-life), the S60 midsize sedan and V60 midsize wagon.

The Polestar models have been a big hit. As we reported previously, Volvo quickly sold out of the S60 and V60 models in 2014. The company has said it will turn out a bigger production run for 2015 to meet the overwhelming demand. Plenty of people want to get their hands on the sleeper Swedish cars, which make for the perfect way to shock a BMW driver at a traffic light.

Polestar Racing enjoys a status as the official factory racing team for Volvo. The two have been cozying up more and more recently as the automaker is starting to realize there is strong demand for factory-modified cars.

During the interview, Connor said that he doesn’t think doing Polestar versions of each Volvo model is practical. As he observed, the new XC90 crossover can be had with a plug-in hybrid powertrain that pumps out 400 horsepower, which is plenty of performance. Sure, Polestar could likely squeeze out even more power, but most people won’t want to take the kids to soccer practice is such a snarling beast. That being said, Mercedes does make the GL63 AMG that has three rows of seating and a peak output of 550 horsepower, so maybe Volvo should take that into account.