Polestar has begun production of its first mainstream fully electric vehicle (EV), the Polestar 2, at its factory in China.

Despite acknowledging that "the world is facing enormous upheaval in the face of the coronavirus pandemic” Polestar chief executive, Thomas Ingenlath, confirmed that production was now underway, with a "strong focus on the health and safety of our people".

He said: "This is a great achievement and the result of huge efforts from the staff in the factory and the team securing the supply chain. I have a huge amount of respect for the entire team – thanks to them.”

In the UK, the first Polestar 2 models - priced from £49,900 - are expected to arrive in the summer.

Polestar’s team in China managed to avoid any cases of Coronavirus as a result of the “tight measures” it implemented at the start of the year. Now it has extended new processes for colleagues in Europe and America, by empowering them to work from home.

Revealed in February 2019, the Polestar 2 is a fully-electric compact SUV. It shares a powertrain with the new Volvo XC40 Recharge, developing 408PS and providing a range of 292 miles.

Owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding and operated by Volvo Cars, the Luqiao plant is an example of how Polestar leverages the expertise of its parent companies.

“Being able to produce in Luqiao means we are able to bring Polestar 2 to market with high build and quality standards right from the beginning,” added Ingenlath.

Initially available to reserve with a refundable deposit, final order books in each launch market are now being opened sequentially.

The brand is rolling out a network of boutique style ‘spaces’, the first of which will be opened in London by Endeavour Automotive, where customers can experience the car and place orders with no “hard sell”.

Aftersales support will be handled by the Volvo dealer network.