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detour transportation Polestar Comes to San Diego PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN DOUGLAS Volvo's stylish battery electric brand makes its local entrance at Westfield UTC BY BRIAN DOUGLAS N OT ONLY ARE BATTERY ELECTRIC vehicles proliferating, but in many cases, they're being offered with a new approach to connecting with potential buyers and eschewing the traditional car lot sales model. One such example: Polestar, the electric offshoot of Volvo, is rolling out through carefully vetted dealerships, and its newest location just popped up at Westfield UTC in La Jolla. Performance Roots Although Polestar may be new to the multitudes who aren't tasked with following the automotive business, the brand name began life in the early 2000s as a Swedish racing team featuring modified Volvos. In 2009, Polestar became Volvo's official partner to performance modify its vehicles, and in 2015, Volvo acquired the fledging company and brand. In the middle of all this activity, Volvo was purchased from Ford by China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group in 2010. Not many years ago, a performance brand would seem out of place to land on an electric vehicle, but many of today's EVs are quicker than their gasoline-powered counterparts. And driving fun is exactly the image Polestar means to deliver in its electrified offerings. My first encounter with the new marque was in the stylish Polestar 1, a limited edition, plug-in hybrid coupe that produced 609 HP and 738 pound-feet of torque. is carbon fiber stunner was fast, laugh-out-loud fun to drive, and sold out quickly. Pure Electricity Polestar 2, the company's current offering, leaves petrol behind in a new battery electric sedan that's a sleek rival to Tesla's Model 3. A single motor, rear-drive model is the base offering that retails for a reasonably competitive $49,800 with freight and before any incentives. For just another $3,500, the dual motor model jumps from 231 to 408 horsepower plus the added traction at all four corners. Both deliver a respectable 260- to 270-mile range. ranchandcoast.com 78 JANUARY 2023 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE