Volvo's Polestar 2 battery-electric car goes 350 miles

Volvo revealed a new image of its answer to the Tesla Model 3.

The battery-electric Polestar 2, expected to arrive in the U.S. in early 2020, will deliver 400 hp and have an estimated range of 350 miles. The car will be based on Polestar's compact modular platform, which underpins the Volvo XC40 crossover. Polestar is Volvo's electrified performance car brand.

The Polestar 2 will be Volvo's first model with Google's Android operating system embedded into the infotainment system. It will include voice-controlled Google Assistant, Google Play Store, Google Maps and other services. Volvo tweeted a demo link offering a look at the new system.

Embedding Google’s technology into the infotainment system is a shift for automakers, as most currently limit access to just Android Auto, allowing the driver to view and use apps on the vehicle’s touch screen after plugging in a smartphone. 

Volvo's decision to team up with Google rather than reinvent the wheel with an in-house infotainment solution was about pragmatism.

"Why would you ever pick that fight and invest the same amount of money? It would be an endless struggle to make it as good [as Google's system]," Volvo r&d boss Henrik Green told Automotive News Europe at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

"We want to give our consumers a fantastic experience where their cars are as seamlessly integrated as any other device. After coming to that conclusion, it was super easy to jump on board with the Android embedded program."

Google's system also will be built into models produced on Volvo's second-generation SPA2 platform, which will debut in 2021 with launch of the third-generation XC90.