That's the trouble with automobile designers. They often need clarification from the technicians regarding whether a component should follow function or form. In such discussions, polestar head Thomas Ingenlath is a skilled shaper, so the decision should be clear with Volvo's electric sister. Not even close. "Thomas challenged us to produce something exceptional from his Polestar 2," says chassis expert Joakim Rydholm. The rally driver and test engineer are at Polestar what Walter Röhrl was at Porsche for years: they provide the e-mobiles with the finishing touches.
So the Swedish engineers tinkered around to give the Polestar 2 additional agility. The criteria were apparent. Increasing the power of a 350 kW (476 hp) electric automobile is less important than making it more agile. Because of the base weight of 2,113 kg, this is no small task. Not to mention the Polestar 2's body is already very rigid. True to the motto: "The better is the enemy of the good," Joakim's team first put a strut brace in the front end of the boss's company car to improve steering behavior, then trimmed the chassis for attack with unique shock absorbers, and lastly installed Akebono brakes.