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Polestar made quite a splash when its first electrified vehicles arrived on U.S. soil. From a 619-horsepower grand touring coupe, to a more modest but still stylish sedan aimed at doing battle with the Tesla Model 3 and BMW 3 Series, the brand immediately made clear that it hasn’t strayed far from its initial mission. Simply put, it wants to build electrified cars that are fun to drive.
Now, some of those fun cars will be built stateside. Specifically, Polestar announced on Wednesday that it plans to build its new all-electric performance SUV in South Carolina.
Once the performance arm of Volvo, Polestar was given new life in 2017 when it became its own independent brand focused on building electrified cars for enthusiastic car people. Its upcoming offering, simply called the Polestar 3, will join a lineup that already includes the battery-powered Polestar 2 sedan and the luxurious plug-in hybrid Polestar 1 coupe.
Presently, all Polestars are assembled in China. Polestar 1 is built at Geely’s purpose-built Polestar plant in Chengdu, and Polestar 2 is manufactured in Luqiao alongside the XC40. The all-new people carrier will become the first American-built Polestar vehicle, then, when it’s assembled at the same factory as the Volvo S60 sedan in Ridgeville, South Carolina.
“Polestar 3 will be built in America, for our American customers,” says Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar’s chief executive officer. “I remember the great response when I first shared Polestar’s vision here in the USA and I am proud that our first SUV will be manufactured in South Carolina. From now on, the USA is no longer an export market but a home market.”
The United States is one of the world’s largest markets for electric cars, alongside China and Europe. Given that the Polestar 3 seems to be a vehicle marketed specifically for American consumers, it makes sense to build it stateside. It’s not clear if South Carolina will be the only production site for the Polestar 3; however, we know that’s where the American-market vehicles will be built. Polestar says this move will help reduce delivery time, environmental impact, and, most importantly to buyers, the vehicle’s final price.
The Polestar 3 will also be the first model built on Volvo’s new EV platform, presumably the Geely-developed Sustainable Experience Architecture, which is tailored for battery power from the ground up. The vehicle will also sport gobs of tech-focused and connected features, including Android Automotive OS and a myriad of “high-end, safety-focused autonomous driving” capabilites that are yet to be announced. Global production is set to begin next year.
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