The days of the Polestar electric car brand in the United States are seriously numbered. Today, the company revealed that the US Department of Commerce has refused to authorize imports of new Polestars from the 2027 model year onwards as part of a rule. ban connected cars from automakers with Chinese ties.
Polestar says it will continue to sell its existing stock of Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 SUVs and “continue to support customers, including access to its service network.” But we can forget about the Polestar 5 sedan, the Polestar 6 roadster or any future model that hits these shores.
The automaker was spun off from Volvo Cars several years ago as a pure-play electric vehicle brand by its corporate parent, Zhejiang Geely Holding, a Chinese company that also owns OEMs such as Lynk and Co and Zeekr. And just a few weeks ago, Commerce Authorized Volvo to import MY27 vehicles. At the time, Polestar told Ars that it was continuing to work with US authorities to comply with regulations; That work was evidently in vain.
America’s domestic auto manufacturing interests have had great success in garnering support for protectionist measures from across the political spectrum, although ironically the Polestar 3 SUV is made in South Carolina, at Volvo’s plant near Charleston. The Polestar 4s destined for the US were built in South Korea, although much of the Polestar manufacturing is done in China.
“The automotive industry is entering a new phase, based on regional dynamics. Our strategy reflects that, with Europe being our largest growth driver and our plan to manufacture Polestar 7 in Europe,” said Michael Lohscheller, CEO of Polestar. “Our record sales in 2025 and the first quarter of 2026 show that we are making great progress, with several new market launches in Europe this year. In addition, we will continue to invest in markets where we have opportunities to continue growing, such as Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Canada.”
