A 350-hp Volvo XC90 Polestar may be in the works

With Polestar is officially under Volvo’s umbrella, the Scandinavian tuners have carte blanche to inject more performance into the brand’s lineup. Now the division is looking towards its latest crossover. As Polestar’s first major project since joining the company, expect to see a modified XC90 soon (R-Design trim above) that’s hot enough to melt the Swedish snow.

Volvo’s supercharged and turbocharged 2.0-liter, Drive-E four-cylinder is no slouch in stock trim with 316 horsepower on T6 models in the US, but Polestar thinks it can do better. According to Autocar, power is expected to push 350 horsepower or more after the tuners work their magic, and the twin-charged powerplant would be attached to an eight-speed automatic for the XC90.

“SUVs are hip. People really like them as urban cruisers, so why not have an XC car that can go on the track as well?” division CEO Niels Möller said to Autocar.

Rumors from earlier this year suggest the tuned XC90 would arrive in 2016 as two models. One would be a high-performance diesel for Europe, and the US would get a gas-fueled version with around 360 hp. As it does with the S60 and V60, Polestar would also adjust the suspension, install better brakes, and tweak the CUV’s looks to match the extra grunt.

While it’s not expected for this XC90, Polestar is still developing a tuned version of Volvo’s plug-in hybrid powertrain. “There will be performance hybrids, which use electrification to enhance performance, rather than worrying about range,” Möller told Autocar.

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