#Polestar Wows With Handsome Precept #Concept [Auto Styling News]

Polestar is the Swedish company Volvo's electric vehicle division, and both are owned by Chinese parent company Geely. It is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden with vehicle production taking place in Chengdu, China.

It is already up and running and selling cars worldwide. And it's turning heads with its clean, Nordic designs.

Polestar recently unveiled the Polestar Precept – a vision of how the brand sees its future styling direction.

The company's division says, in typically Nordic and logical language, "we believe that a car should stand out because every part of it has been thoroughly thought out."

The name “Precept” was chosen to emphasise the vehicle’s role in setting out Polestar’s intent as the contemporary electric performance brand. 

A precept is a manifesto of things to come; a declaration. The car signifies an important milestone for Polestar as a standalone brand, describing a unique design philosophy that remains firmly embedded in Polestar’s brand values: pure, progressive and performance.

“Precept is a declaration, a vision of what Polestar stands for and what makes the brand relevant,” says Thomas Ingenlath, CEO of Polestar. “The car is a response to the clear challenges our society and industry face. This is not a dream of a distant future, Polestar Precept previews future vehicles and shows how we will apply innovation to minimise our environmental impact.

Indeed, the car is not too far in looks from the 2021 Polestar 1, an incredibly handsome vehicle (on sale now for about $60k.)

Precept features an integrated front wing above the SmartZone which accelerates air flow over the long hood. This allows air to attach itself to the surface earlier, which improves aerodynamic efficiency and thus improves the vehicle’s range. 

Minimalistic athleticism, the sculpted form of the Polestar Precept sets the tone for future Polestar vehicles. The vehicle’s proportions define its presence with restrained surfacing and a focus on aerodynamic efficiency. A 3.1-metre wheelbase which accommodates a large battery pack gives the four-door vehicle a very low silhouette, and better leg-and-head room in the back seat.

The front grille is replaced by the Polestar SmartZone, representing, "a shift from breathing to seeing," the company says. An area which once channelled air to radiators and the internal combustion engine now houses technology for safety sensors and driver assistance functions. 

Purposefully gathered behind a transparent panel dedicated to intelligent hardware are two radar sensors and a high definition camera. The LIDAR pod, mounted atop the glass roof, is given optimal visibility as a next step towards increased driving assistance. The Thor’s Hammer-style LED headlight style evolves with separated elements, taking on a dynamic, more robotic and brand-defining interpretation.

At the rear, the wide blade-like light fixture spans the entire width of the car, extending into vertical aero-wings – another aerodynamic feature and a nod to light-weight design.

There are, of course, some flights of fancy, and fantasy, that won't likely be seen on the production car.

Conventional side mirrors are replaced here by camera-based units, each of which extends outwards on an aerodynamic arm. 

The absence of a conventional rear window means that the Precept’s single-volume glass roof extends behind the rear seats and the tailgate itself is designed with a larger opening and higher-mounted hinges improving access. This obviously will be replaced in the production car with a proper rear window for visibility.

That's not to say some future tech won't make it into this car. Inside, the traditional rear-view mirror is replaced with a digital screen, the image collected by a wide-angle camera mounted at the rear of the car.

This technology is already creeping into several vehicles in 2020, including some GM cars like the Cadillac CT6 and some Lexus models. It's a neat feature that allows you to avoid the 3 adult's heads in the back seat because the camera is on the back of the roof.

#Volvo 40 Series Concepts Show Radical New Direction [Auto Styling News]

Volvo has unveiled two new concept cars that move the brand in an audacious new direction and mark the official launch of its global small car strategy. The Swedish company is currently implementing an ambitious revitalization plan that it hopes will re-position the brand to compete with its global premium competitors within the next four years.

The new 40 series concepts demonstrate for the first time how Volvo plans to expand into the large and lucrative global market for premium small cars with a range of vehicles that have a bold exterior design.

If you haven't heard of the V40, you are, like me, an American. Sadly, this awesome 5-door hatch, which has been produced for Europeans since 2012, hasn't made it across the pond. Which is too bad, because even the current version looks very nice, and probably would have been great sellers here in the "luxury entry" category.

But the new 40s, dubbed 40.1 and 40.2, which are due to hit roads around the world in 2017, are gorgeous.

Volvo 40.1 concept, rear side view

The 40.1, shown at right, is the SUV-like model, with a distinctive, and quite attractive, rear panel treatment that cuts across the rear doors and offers a micro-side panel window that is unique - though the blind spot it creates is enormous. The "L-shaped" Volvo tail lamps are similar to current models and adds great visual interest, though also highlighting the huge rear panel. Overall, the rear reminds one of the Porsche Cayanne, if you squint.

The indenture on the lower doors adds visual interest, and it is necessary, since without it, the side view would be almost Hyundai-like (and circa 2005, not today's racy models.) The front lamps on this and the 40.2 are stunning, with a sideways "T" bringing a style that has been evolving into something beautiful on recent Volvos.

Volvo 40.2 concept, rear three-quarter view

The 40.2 concept is something else altogether; far more car-like and conventional, but hardly anyone would use that "C" word to describe it.

There's a definite early-80s "Audi Quattro" feeling to the 40.2, and maybe that's not by accident. This is especially visible in the rear quarter, with a more subtle uptick creating a smaller rear panel than the 40.1, but enough to show that it is meant to represent a family resemblance. The headlamps and front grille also strongly resembles its 40.1 brother.

The side view is very butch, and despite being a small-ish car, the wheelbase looks enormous. The small windows and low roof are extremely handsome, and the "cut" in the lower doors are far more pronounced than in the 40.2, and flare off radically into the rear wheels (seen clearly in the three-quarter view, at left)

The rear is almost Mustang-like - and that's meant as a deep compliment. The two-pronged tail lamps (if there is enough showing from the rear for them to be effective in traffic) point to the Volvo lettering that could say  "Mustang." The large panorama roof is also an amazing feature.

Volvo says both new concept cars will be the first to be built around its new Compact Modular Architecture, which has been specially created for smaller cars and which has liberated the company’s designers and engineers to explore bold and daring new directions.

This global small car range will include a pure battery electric vehicle as well as Twin Engine plug-in hybrid powertrain variants.

Of course, perhaps we shouldn't get our hopes up just yet about ANY version of these cars hitting our shores. But they would be foolish not to bring them. Pricing has not been released but the 40.1 car and 40.2 mini-Ute would be great entry-level cars for the brand if they're in the lower $20k range.