Swedish electric vehicle company Polestar has effectively been driven out of the United States due to its ties with China, but it is not discouraged and is consolidating its efforts to develop its business in Europe. Sales of the mid-size crossover wagon Polestar 4 SUV are scheduled to begin on September 2.
At the end of June, Polestar's press service reported that the U.S. Department of Commerce had not granted the company permission to sell 2027 model year vehicles, as Polestar does not comply with the Connected Vehicle Rules approved last year. These rules are aimed at protecting the U.S. from potential spy software and electronic components linked to China or Russia. As is known, Polestar is owned by the Chinese holding company Geely. U.S. authorities deemed that its ties to China at the IT technology level were too close, and therefore did not renew its permission to sell cars in the U.S. Polestar did not challenge this decision but simply announced its forced withdrawal from the American market, with dealers now selling off remaining vehicles.
The flagship Polestar 3 crossover is actually produced in the U.S. at Volvo's plant in Ridgeville, South Carolina, while the Polestar 4 arrives in the U.S. from South Korea. However, for U.S. authorities, what matters is not the assembly location, but the location of the servers that service the vehicles. Volvo Cars and Lotus are also owned by Geely, but they have their own IT ecosystems protected from direct control from China, so they continue to operate in the U.S. for now. In theory, Polestar could relocate its IT ecosystem from China, but the U.S. market accounts for only 6% of its sales, so it was decided not to waste effort and time adapting to the new rules.
Now Polestar is tying its future mainly to the European market, which accounts for about 80% of its sales. Polestar's sales in China ceased last year. The upcoming new model, the Polestar 4 SUV (shown in the lead photo), is also primarily aimed at European buyers, who still favor station wagon body styles. Sales of the Polestar 4 SUV will begin on September 2, with the premiere taking place either on the same day or slightly earlier.
Currently, the Polestar 4 is only offered as a liftback with a solid tailgate, which has caused owners to frequently damage the rear when parking. The wagon will feature a "normal" tailgate with glass, so parking issues should not arise.
The wagon based on the Polestar 4 was announced back in February of this year along with other new models from the company, but only today it was announced that it will be called the Polestar 4 SUV. The Polestar 4 liftback was renamed the Polestar 4 Coupe in May of this year and received an upgraded suspension (improved handling and ride smoothness), which will also be available on the wagon.
In terms of powertrains, the Polestar 4 Coupe and Polestar 4 SUV will likely be fully unified: it has been announced that the base single-motor version will be able to travel up to 630 km on a single charge under the WLTP cycle, while the top dual-motor version will deliver 544 hp. Further details will be revealed on September 2. The Polestar 4 SUV will be produced in the same location as the liftback — in Busan, South Korea.
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