Polestar is Volvo's dedicated tuning and racing division and since 2012 has been tweaking the output and aggression of standard Volvos to make them a bit more exciting.

"This is an important milestone for Polestar and proof of the increasing demand from performance-oriented Volvo customers around the world," said Johan Lindqvist, Head of Global Sales at Polestar. "We are well on our way to our best year in terms of sales."

However, hitting the 100,000-conversion mark so quickly -- over 10% of these Polestar cars were ordered since the start of 2017 -- shouldn't come as a surprise to industry watchers.

In recent years, a fast-emerging trend in the mid-to-high tiers of the automotive market is an increasing desire among people for premium practicality with a pinch of performance.

In the days before Volvo's announcement, Mercedes confirmed that it's going to roll out a sub-AMG brand for its most compact cars that ups the aggressive styling and the power, but will stop well short of the throbbing twin turbo V6 and V8 units that are the beating heart of its traditional AMG road rockets.

Likewise, BMW is to offer M Performance versions of many of its existing mainstream models that will offer owners stiffer suspension, more dynamic styling and faster throttle response, but again without crossing the line and into true ‘M' car territory.

And, as a company that is now aggressively targeting consumers that would otherwise be sizing up an Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Lexus or Mercedes, Volvo has to be sure it can compete with the traditional executive car makers in terms of potency as well as premium fit, finishes and active driver aids.

The current Polestar range consists of three models -- the XC90, S90 and V90 Cross Country -- and in July the company will be revealing what it has planned for the new XC60 compact SUV.