Extra international locations than you’ll be able to shake a stick at.
Until you’re fairly into automobiles, there’s an excellent change you’ve by no means heard of Polestar. As soon as a Volvo efficiency trim stage—alongside the strains of BMW’s M Efficiency, or Mercedes-Benz’s AMG—Polestar is now a stand-alone luxurious/efficiency electric-vehicle model with a small retail group right here within the States.
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Based in 2017, Polestar’s possession is an advanced affair. Till just lately a quasi-division of Volvo, Polestar is now majority owned by Volvo father or mother firm Geely. This previous month, Volvo reduce its possession stake in Polestar from 49 % to only 18, with the rest being absorbed by Geely.
Volvo reduce its ties with Polestar as a result of the carmaker was having a troublesome time masking the prices of bringing Polestar up pace as a world model. Final yr Polestar offered nearly 55,000 automobiles in complete, 8400 of which landed right here within the U.S. For the file, Polestar has 30 dealerships within the States, six of that are in California. So, for those who dwell in, say, Nebraska, you’ve seemingly by no means seen a Polestar. That can seemingly change, however not very quickly.
One of many attention-grabbing issues about Polestar is that it is extremely a lot a model and not using a residence. Whereas nearly everybody is aware of that Volvo is a Swedish model, of us may need a harder time sussing out Polestars nationwide origins. Certain, we will simply sum issues up as, “Polestar is a spin-off of Swedish carmaker Volvo funded by Chinese language automotive conglomerate Geely,” however the reality is cloudier than that. For the file, Polestar’s claimed headquarters is in Gothenburg, Sweden—proper there with Volvo—however the firm’s sprawling worldwide presence means that the corporate is rather less settled than that.
Let’s check out the place Polestar automobiles are constructed, and see if that lends any readability to the nationwide identification of Polestar.
The place are Polestars Constructed?
Polestar 1 (sporty coupe)
Mannequin years: 2020-2021
In-built: Chengdu, China
An ironic method to launch an EV model, Polestar’s first car, the Polestar 1, was truly a gas-powered plug-in hybrid. The smallish 2+2 sporty automotive featured a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine mated to 2 electrical motors. Solely provided for a few years, the primary Polestar was assembled in Chengdu China. That manufacturing facility is now referred to by Geely because the Polestar Plant. In complete, 1500 had been produced.
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Polestar 2 (small hatchback)
Mannequin years: 2021-Current
In-built: Luqiao, Zhejiang, China
Polestar’s first quantity product, and its first all-electric mannequin, the Polestar 2 small 4-door hatchback is produced at Volvo’s “CMA Tremendous Manufacturing facility” in Luqiao, Zhejiang, China. The manufacturing facility additionally producers the favored Volvo XC40.
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Polestar 3 (midsize crossover)
Mannequin years: 2025-
In-built: Chengdu, China; Ridgeville, South Carolina
Initially scheduled for a 2024-model-year launch, the Polestar 3 is a midsize 2-row crossover that shares its mechanical structure the Volvo EX90, which is now in manufacturing. Positioned because the Polestar flagship, the “3” will probably be produced in a number of places. The Polestar 3 is presently produced in Chengdu, China, with extra manufacturing from Volvo’s Ridgeville, South Carolina meeting facility, coming on-line in calendar-year 2025. The Ridgeville plant presently produces the Volvo S60 compact automotive, and EX90 midsize electrical crossover.
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Polestar 4 (coupe crossover)
Mannequin years: 2025-
In-built: Ninbo, China; Busan South Korea
A compact/midsize “coupe crossover,” the Polestar 4 would be the first of the model’s merchandise assembled with an eye fixed in direction of potential tariffs levied by the U.S. on Chinese language imports. The 4 will probably be constructed below contract by Renault in Busan, South Korea. The French maker’s Renault Korea Motors (RKM) facility is situated close to port services, and can produce the Polestar 4 on the market within the U.S. and South Korea. The coupe crossover may even be assembled in Ningbo, China on the market in different markets. The Ningbo plant is a Geely manufacturing facility which additionally produces luxurious electrical automobiles offered below the maker’s Zeekr model.
As a result of the Korean Polestar 4s will probably be assembled in a rustic with U.S. Most Favoured Nation (MFN) standing, the car shouldn’t be topic to import tariffs that will prone to utilized to a Chinese language-produced automotive or truck.
Polestar 5 (massive sedan)
Mannequin years: 2026-
In-built: Chongqing, China
Designed to compete with the likes of the Lucid Air, Porsche Taycan, and Telsa Mannequin S, the Polestar Mannequin 5 ought to see manufacturing beginning late in 2025. The 5 will probably be assembled in an all-new manufacturing facility Geely is constructing in Chongqing, China. The posh-oriented Polestar 5 shares its primary structure with the all-new Lotus Eletre, although it won’t be assembled in the identical manufacturing facility. Lotus, like Volvo, is basically owned by Geely.
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Polestar Gallery
Click on beneath for enlarged pictures