Last summer, Volvo’s EV division Polestar announced a rather cool-sounding program called ‘Art for Art’, offering its customers in Europe and the USA to trade in their paintings, photos, sculptures and installations for Polestar 1 EVs. The first deal has now been concluded.
An uncredited collector from Sweden said he traded a street artwork for a Polestar 1 Hybrid. A new coupe like this normally costs $155,000 in the USA.
The automaker claims it has received over 500 applications from art collectors and artists themselves. Their proposed trade items have been assessed by Phillips and Sotheby’s teams, as well as consultant Theodor Dalenson.
The Polestar 1 debuted five years ago as the Swedish marque’s first production car. The company had only made 1,500 units before stopping production last year.
A plug-in hybrid powertrain comprising a 2.0-liter turbo engine and dual electric motors propel the 1 forward with 609 PS (600 hp / 447 kW) and 1,000 Nm (738 lb-ft) of torque. The car sprints 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 4.2 seconds and has around 124 kilometers (77 miles) of all-electric range.