The Sleuth confirms that Volvo鈥檚 premium division, Polestar, will begin selling vehicles in North America by mid-2019, starting with the all-wheel-drive Polestar聽1. The limited-edition 2+2-seat luxury coupe will use an 鈥渆lectric performance hybrid drivetrain鈥� consisting of a supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine for the front wheels, plus an electric motor for each rear wheel. Combined output is pegged at 592聽horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque. The plug-in hybrid system is also expected to give the coupe a range of close to 160聽kilometres on battery power alone. The carbon-fibre-bodied Polestar 1 鈥� the first of three planned Polestar models 鈥� will be built at a dedicated production facility in China. Pricing is expected to start in the low-$200,000 range in sa国际传媒.
FCA after Sergio Marchionne
The late head of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is credited with turning around a struggling Chrysler. Without his no-nonsense leadership, the company might not have survived. But that doesn鈥檛 mean that it鈥檚 clear sailing ahead for former Jeep and Ram division head Michael Manley, who replaced Marchionne as FCA鈥檚 boss. It appears to the Sleuth that Chrysler and Dodge will play increasingly minor roles in the automaker鈥檚 plans, with perhaps no more than two models for each surviving past 2020. But the real problem child continues to be Fiat, the sales of which have headed sharply downward in the past few years (just 53 Fiat cars were sold in June in sa国际传媒) as buyer preferences for larger vehicles continue unabated. Unless Manley can engineer a rescue mission for the brand (something that eluded his predecessor), it appears increasingly likely that Fiat won鈥檛 make it into the next decade.
A Land Rover with a soft touch could arrive sooner than you think
The Sleuth鈥檚 deep-digging associates are hearing about an upcoming vehicle from Land Rover, called the Road Rover, that鈥檚 meant more for taking on deep puddles and tall grass than muddy trails and boulder-strewn terrain. Further speculation is that the Road Rover will somewhat resemble the BMW X6 or Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe tall hatchbacks that go for sleeker looks ahead of all-out cargo space. That concept also makes sense since Land Rover affiliate Jaguar doesn鈥檛 have any vehicle like that in its lineup.
Ford鈥檚 small-size truck is on track
According to the Spy Guy鈥檚 sources, Ford has plans for another new pickup that鈥檚 smaller than the upcoming midsize 2019 Ranger. The new Ranger will compete with the Chevrolet Colorado, Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier, but Ford will apply the Courier name to a compact hauler built off the latest Focus platform. That would make some sense since the original Courier pickup that was built by Mazda and sold by Ford in the early 1970s was also based on a small car. There鈥檚 no powertrain info yet, but Ford鈥檚 new turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder and the existing non-turbo 2.0-litre are obvious guesses. Ford is expected to deliver the Courier for the 2022 model year.
Another link in Lynk & Co鈥檚 plans
The China-based automaker that owns Volvo recently showcased its latest production model, which the Sleuth believes is likely to make it to North America along with the previously announced 01 and 03 tall wagons. The 03 sedan will use the Volvo XC40 architecture and will be available only as a plug-in hybrid consisting of a turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine plus an electric motor. The 03, plus the rest of the Lynk & Co line, will be built in China and Belgium, but the Spymaster believes that Volvo鈥檚 newest production facility in Ridgeville, South Carolina, could also be the source for these models for North America, but not until the early 2020s. It鈥檚 also rumoured that, like Tesla, Lynk & Co vehicles will be sold through a network of company stores, instead of traditional dealership franchises.
An even-more-expensive Bugatti model
Volkswagen鈥檚 ultra-premium division is introducing a new vehicle that will join the existing $3-million US Chiron. The Chiron-based Divo (named for 1920s Bugatti racing driver Albert Divo) will set buyers back an astounding $5.8 million US, but you must act quickly as only 40 examples are planned. Construction is expected to begin in 2019.
