Volvo Wants to Become Awesome

Instead of turning itself into a pure luxury brand, Volvo is looking towards a performance future.

Say what you want about Volvo. But the Chinese-owned automaker is working very hard to reinvent itself while still maintaining its long-standing reputation for safety innovation. It’s not an easy task when giants like BMW and Mercedes dominate the luxury market. Volvo needs to be something different. And based on recent reports, Volvo wants to be known as a performance brand that can fully keep up with its German rivals. The best example is the recent S60 Polestar, a 350 horsepower and 369 lb-ft variant of the standard S60 sedan.

Solid initial reviews has tempted Volvo to expand its Polestar performance lineup even further. And the Australian market will apparently be the guinea pig. Volvo will soon offer the first 50 units of the S60 Polestar exclusively in that country. Feedback will be sought by owners on whether the car can stand up to the likes of BMW’s M and Mercedes’ AMG cars. If the response is positive, Volvo will not only consider selling more S60 Polestars in and outside of Australia, it will also build performance versions of the V40 and XC60. For now, the S60 Polestar is a “pilot program.” If it proves successful, Volvo will expand its performance cred on a more global level.

Volvo Wants to Become Awesome