Currently reading: Volvo plans 500bhp, M3-beating Polestar S60

Power is expected to come from a turbocharged version of the 4.4-litre Yamaha V8 found in the XC90

A 500bhp, Polestar-developed version of the Volvo S60 will make production, insiders have revealed. The new model, developed by the team behind Volvo’s Swedish Touring Car Championship entry, was spied in Sweden for the first time last week and is said to be close to a market launch.

Insiders have given no details away other than the BMW M3-eclipsing power output. It is unlikely Volvo would have stretched its six-cylinder engine to make such a figure, so power is expected to come from a turbocharged version of the 4.4-litre Yamaha V8 found in the XC90 (and 
the Noble M600).

A Haldex all-wheel drive system is also likely to feature, along with a pair of clever differentials taken from the C30 Polestar concept.  

The spy pictures mask Polestar’s bodywork changes, but these are likely to include a more aggressive front end with additional engine cooling, plus wider sills and a diffuser at the rear. The spy pics do show the new, larger alloy wheels.

Polestar offers performance upgrades for various Volvo models, but it has not created a full-blown Volvo production car before. The Polestar C30, which used a 400bhp 2.5-litre, five-pot engine, was never given the green light, despite positive feedback. 

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Mark Tisshaw

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Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.