Polestar 1 Shaves 507 Pounds Off Its Curb Weight Thanks to Carbon Fiber [News]

By all accounts, Polestar 1 – the first model from Volvo’s spinoff company – should be pretty quick.

By now, we already knew that the Polestar 1 was shaping up to be a pretty remarkable car, at least on paper. A performance hybrid with 600 horsepower and 737 lb-ft of torque (1,000 newton-meters), you likely won’t be wanting for power. However, today we learned that the car will also be a lot lighter than we initially inspected, as its clad in carbon fiber.

Thanks to extensive use of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), the Polestar 1 sheds 230 kilograms off its curb weight, or 507 pounds. To put that in perspective, that’s like throwing two burly adult men out of the car, permanently. The hood, trunk, side panels, roof and doors are all constructed from CFRP. As a result, the upshot is that the Polestar One should deliver even better performance. For those who weren’t already aware, the Polestar One makes its power from a 2.0-liter turbocharged and supercharged engine mated to electric motors.

Christian Samson, the company’s Head of Product Creation, touts the benefits of carbon fiber: “When you combine this strengthened framework with the super-strong body and roof structure, you get a stiff and communicative chassis which translates driver input into superb driving characteristics.” Carbon fiber is thinner and lighter than steel, which does help the car’s overall weight and center of gravity. It’s unclear, at this point, whether Polestar’s all-electric models – due out in the next two years – will also use carbon fiber.

Polestar hasn’t released exact performance figures beyond power just yet. Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for more updates! Subscribe to The Fast Lane Car and TFLnow for more news, views and real-world reviews.