In 2017, Polestar was soaked away from Volvo as a loose brand that had to deal with fast electric cars. Yet the first model looks like two drops of water on a Volvo and the “1” is not electric, but a plug-in hybrid. Whether the car is worth its special name, we investigate next to another hybrid top coupe: the Lexus LC500h.
Labels are out, brands are in. DS stands on its own feet within PSA, Cupra is now a brand name and now there is Polestar, which promoted from a sporty Volvo label to a real brand. In all three cases, the added value on paper seems limited. Where a label for sporty or extra-luxurious models almost automatically contributes to the experience around a brand, the same label as a stand-alone brand must fight for its right to exist. Without history and with nothing more than marketing cries as a foundation, such a soaked-off brand quickly becomes an empty shell in the eyes of the public, especially if the cars of the brand resemble those of the mother brand like two drops of water. At the same time, the striking trend does not come out of the blue. We can assume that car brands do long and thorough research before taking the big step towards a new brand, so it is apparently worth the gamble. It must be said: those unknown logos give the Polestar 1 something mysterious. Young and old are chasing the car. The Polestar is certainly not loud, but is popular with a large target group due to the sleek, tidy and well-proportioned body. The voluptuous sides and clean lines have been copied one-on-one from the 2013 Volvo Concept Coupé, but the grille and logos are naturally new. However, it is striking how Volvo and with it Polestar lives in the Netherlands, because most bystanders know about what it is. That does not apply to the Lexus, but this coupé also attracts a lot of attention. The LC is also almost identical to the concept car that preceded it. The LF-LC Concept was already presented in 2012, but the production version still looks futuristic. The beautifully curved body is a lot less ‘clean’ than the Polestar body, partly due to the amazing offshoots on the lighting units, but in our opinion it all fits perfectly into the picture. The gigantic wheels, long nose and wide hips make the sturdy Lexus look a bit more impressive than the Polestar, which is probably more popular with somewhat more subdued types.