A precept is a mission statement. So it makes perfect sense that Volvo’s new luxury sub-brand, Polestar, would introduce a concept vehicle with that name. The intent of this car is to help consumers to understand what the new Swedish carmaker stands for. As it turns out, Polestar has a three-pronged approach to its identity.
The first is based around Scandinavian, minimalist design. In the case of the Precept, this enunciates itself on the four-door’s clean, uncluttered surfaces. It also appears in its smoothly tapered shape, intended to maximize aerodynamic slipperiness and thus increase efficiency. And its form follows its function; since it is an electric vehicle, without an engine upfront or a gas tank in the back, the wheels can be pushed further out to the car’s edges, giving more room in the cabin. Rear-hinged back doors provide a more spacious opening.
Sustainability is another key component, and not just because, as referenced above, this is a battery-powered vehicle, and thus will not contribute any direct greenhouse gas emissions from its non-existent tailpipe. (The power plants that provide the electricity that charges it may, depending on what fuels them.) The Precept uses environmentally friendly interior materials made from flax, recycled water bottles, and reclaimed fishing nets. These not only reduce weight and waste, but help create a new ideal of understated luxury, one that transcends the traditional drawing room connotations delivered by wood, leather, and shiny metals.
Finally, as a member of the Volvo family, Polestar is focused on technologies intended to increase driver and passenger safety, as well as the safety of pedestrians and others with whom these cars will share the road. Foremost among its advanced features is an integrated LIDARpod. Mounted where the windshield meets the roof, this device works much like a RADAR, but utilizing laser light instead of radio waves, and will work to detect objects far in the distance, in order to map the road ahead, and help in the avoidance of obstacles and dangers.
If these are the doctrines to which this new brand will be abiding, count us as potential converts.
