Polester 1 Almost Ready To Take On Role As Flagship

As much as it hurts me to say, you have to admire how the Chinese have managed to support but not get in the way of the Swedes in bringing Volvo all the way back and then some. (Ford, you had your chance and blew it. GM, you blew it with SAAB which had similar heritage and potential.) This Polester looks and sounds like a winner and great foundation for building a sub-brand franchise for Volvo. If the Chinese do for Lotus what they have done for Volvo, look out world!

I cringe at the bigotry of "...you have to admire how the Chinese have managed to support but not get in the way of the Swedes in bringing Volvo all the way back and then some...".

Translation: "The Chinese are inferior and they know it but they have cash and they know that the Swedes are superior so they write blank checks as the subservient race the Chinese are."

Geely is more likely to be on top of every last move with Volvo.

Ford rescued Volvo and pumped a LOT of money in that made Volvo viable. Volvo was is good condition when sold to Geely, but Volvo hasn't exactly set the world on fire since the,

It hurts me not for all the reasons you gave but because the Chinese record on human rights is pitiful and in so many ways their economic might is being used as a tool to dominate smaller countries and take over world ports. Yet I do admire them for funding Volvo, giving broad parameters for investment but not micro managing and strangling the Swedes like Ford and GM did. Volvo's volume has improved significantly from where it was, the SUV's and cars receive high praise in all reviews while holding onto Swedish design and brand traits.

Volvo still remains as it was - a second tier premium - with only 4 cylinder engines - that really do not compete with the first tier - but their prices are over the top of their place.

Frankly - I would not buy a 590 HP 4 cylinder engine - the tech required to do that is simply to delicate for anything but a race car with a 600 mile life.

And while Volvo cars may get good reviews from magazines - remember that magazines named the Chevy Vega and Citation, the Renault Alliance, and even the Mustang II - Cars of the YEAR. Magazines placed Chrysler products high up -at a time when their FWD Transaxles where better that TNT for blowing up.

At their prices - there are a lot better choices than a Volvo.

Total horsepower is 600hp but its a plug in hybrid. The gasoline supercharged and turbocharged engine generates only 352hp (certainly not overstressed with today's technology) supplemented by a 44hp electric motor in the driveline and two 107hp electric engines at each rear wheel for a total of 248hp from electric motors.