Volvo Cars has announced that Polestar Engineered, a new upgraded electrified performance offer, will be exclusively available for its 60 Series T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid cars. The news comes as the brand introduces its ‘Made in USA' premium sports sedan, S60, at the inauguration of its first US manufacturing plant in Charleston, South Carolina. Håkan Samuelsson, president and CEO at Volvo Cars says that Electric cars are their future, and that a new era of Volvo electrified models, enhanced by Polestar's performance engineering prowess. This strategy is firmly grounded in their shared belief in an electric future for the car industry."

The Polestar develops both electric and high-performance cars, and upgrades for Volvo models. Its Polestar Engineered offer has been designed to enhance the performance of the S60's wheels, brakes, suspension and engine control unit. Fine-tuning of the engine's control unit, in the Polestar Engineered, takes the S60 electrified T8 Twin Engine output from 298 KW to 309 KW combined with 670 NM of torque. The standard T8 Twin Engine delivers 294 KW and 640 NM combined. The software upgrades improve fuel consumption and emissions, neutral performance, and are also said to be improved with the upgrades. The Brembo mono-block brake calipers are cast in one piece and optimized for rigidity. The brake pads have increased heat tolerance, while the brake discs' slotted design further improves heat reduction. Premium Öhlins shock absorbers are added to the Polestar Engineered multi-link front and rear suspension, with a dual-flow valve for stiffening in the springs and dampers, without losing any comfort for the driver. As for the strut bar and adjustable shock absorber, the design is borrowed from the Polestar 1 plug-in hybrid performance car.

Henrik Green, senior vice president of research and development at Volvo Cars, says that the new S60 T8 Polestar Engineered is an electrified car that does what you want it to. All components he said have been fine-tuned to work together, delivering a responsive and exciting driver's car.Polestar Engineered will also be offered on the new V60 estate and XC60 SUV from next year, and it will be available globally in limited numbers via Volvo dealerships and Care by Volvo, the company's premium car subscription service.

Polestar Engineered debuts on the new S60 premium sports sedan and the offer is exclusively available on the top-of-the-line T8 Twin Engine and is positioned above Volvo's R Design versions. The new S60 is due to launch in South Africa next year. At this stage the Polestar Engineered derivative is not yet confirmed for the local market.

Moving on to the new S60 mid-size premium sports sedan, Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars, said that the new S60 is one of the most exciting cars they have ever made. The new S60 is the first Volvo to be sold without a diesel offer, signaling the company's industry-leading commitment to electrification and a long-term future beyond the traditional combustion engine. In 2017 Volvo Cars was the first global car maker to announce its strategy that from 2019 all new models will be electrified. In South Africa, the S60 will be available with two turbo-charged petrol engines (T4 and T5), as well as a super-and-turbo-charged petrol derivative (T6). The new S60 will be introduced locally next year, but final dates and specification are not yet available. The T6 and T8 Twin Engines are under consideration for SA.

The new S60 shares Volvo Cars' own Scalable Product Architecture platform, safety technology and infotainment system with the new V60 premium mid-size estate, launched earlier this year, as well as the top-of-the-line 90 Series cars and award-winning XC60, all of which have achieved industry-leading safety ratings. This makes the new S60 one of the safest cars on the road. City Safety with Autobrake technology assists the driver in avoiding potential collisions and is the only system on the market to recognize pedestrians, cyclists and large animals. In a world first for the mid-size sedan segment, City Safety now also engages auto braking to mitigate oncoming collisions. The optional Pilot Assist system - which supports the driver with steering, acceleration and braking, on well-marked roads up to 130km/h, has been upgraded with improved cornering performance. The S60 also includes Run-off Road Mitigation, Oncoming Lane Mitigation and other steering assistance systems. The optional Cross Traffic Alert with autobrake further enhances safety for people inside and outside the car. This makes the new S60 one of the safest cars on the road.