AutoBeta(AutoBeta.net)06/07 Report--

On June 6th, polestar, a high-performance brand owned by Volvo, announced that its Chengdu production line was nearing completion and would officially put into production the first hybrid luxury GT Polestar 1 within 2019, while polestar1 officially announced that the polestar1 had entered the final stage of pre-production, and the first batch of pre-booking customers could choose the configuration of the vehicle. It is understood that the Polestar 1 model uses Volvo's own plug-in hybrid technology. Using 2.0T double supercharged engine plus plug-in charging motor technology, comprehensive power of 600 horses. With an acceleration of less than 4 seconds, polestar 1 is the first domestic luxury high-performance GT model.

As a high-performance brand under Volvo. Polar Star was previously a team participating in the Swedish RV Championship, when drivers Nelson and JAN officially used the modified Volvo 850 in 1996, which was the beginning of the cooperation between Volvo and polestar. In the subsequent race, Polestar won most of the championships and officially had the Polestar team.

In 2010, polestar launched its first civil concept model, the C30polestar conpect. In 2015, Volvo wholly acquired the 20-year-old high-performance retrofit brand and became a high-performance division of the group. Volvo announced the launch of the new S60/V60 Polestar in China at the Chengdu Auto Show, which opened on September 2, 2016, marking the official entry of Polaris into the Chinese market.

Compared with the three German luxury brands, Volvo launched the high-performance brand very late. Audi RS, BMW Mpower and Mercedes-Benz AMG have become powerful technical benchmarks for the three brands. High-performance model is an important strategy for luxury brands to enhance brand positioning. Especially now the price of entry-level luxury models is becoming more and more popular. Luxury brands must seek high-end development to maintain brand tone. Sports, luxury and personalization can bring another distinct image to the brand, so as to drive the fan effect and make the brand have more connotation.

Volvo is well aware that it is not enough for only two models to dominate the luxury sports market, so on June 21, 2017, Volvo officially independent polestar, no longer using Volvo's logo, using its own independent 'Polestar' logo, and announcing the Chinese name of Polestar ". Polar Star will focus on high-performance electrified product lines in the future. And Polestar1 is the first product after the independence of Polar Star. Geely has great expectations for polar stars and hopes to become one of the luxury high-performance brands, shoulder Porsche and Maserati. Despite the independence of Polar Star, the appearance of its products still has the blood of Volvo, and Volvo is safe, stable and low-key in the eyes of ordinary consumers. There are many people who are not interested in polar stars, and even say "crazy dreams" about their independence. Volvo is not as charismatic as BBA, and building it into a top sports brand like Porsche would be out of reach.

Mercedes-Benz's AMG, BMW M and Audi RS are not completely independent, but are named separately in their models. Volvo can only consider the possibility of making its brand independent after it launches a high-performance model after it has gained a certain market share and fans. The embarrassment of Polar Star is like Volvo's dilemma at this time, getting rid of the ups and downs of luxury brands on the second and third lines at this time. At the same time, it has no advantage with Cadillac and Lexus.

In addition to the official publicity that the model of Ji Xing will be put on the market by leasing, users can rent it by all-inclusive, monthly or regular way. It can reduce the cost of maintenance and maintenance, and at the same time avoid the loss and devaluation of the model. But when you think about it, this new way of selling looks good. But for the users of most luxury models, only if they have a personal luxury car and can use it at any time, can it reflect its value, and the luxury car is a symbol of its status, and the way of renting seems to be a little different from the concept of ownership. Therefore, whether the leasing method adopted by Polaris can be accepted by the market remains to be further confirmed.

It is doubtful that the entangled relationship between Polar Star and Volvo can be used to become a sub-brand to achieve true independence. On the other hand, in marketing, business strategies rely heavily on Volvo's team and network. Carl Brauer, editor of Kelly Blue Book, commented, "until these issues are resolved, the independence of Polestar has no practical significance."

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