Polestar Begins Vehicle Production in South Carolina
Swedish automaker Polestar has started producing its Polestar 3 at Volvo's facility in Ridgeville, South Carolina near Charleston. The vehicle is the first Polstar to be built in the United States. An additional facility will be spun up in South Korea in 2025.
The Polestar 3 luxury SUV joins the Poleatar 2 sedan in the automaker's lineup of EVs. The Polestar 1 was a low-production hybrid. The EV will join a growing number of electric EVs available to US buyers as automakers seek to appeal to US consumers' desire for SUVs while the country transitions to electric vehicles.
Recent tariffs on Chinese-built vehicles likely put pressure on Polestar to move production of the SUV from China (where the Polestar 2 is built) to the US to keep the costs of the vehicle from ballooning beyond what the public would be willing to pay. That's a factor, but according to Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath, this move has been a long time coming.
Years ago when Inglenlath was still at Volvo, the executive team was pushing for the Swedish automaker to start manufacturing in the United States.
"Of course, you can make a business but it's about taking that American market seriously and making that symbolic manifestation of what it means for Volvo at that point," Ingenlath told SAE.
The CEO continued, "I think that Polestar 3 production in Charleston is a crucial element that you actually have a brand that is producing cars here, is delivering from the US, and not only that, taking it as well for export, and really having that serious ambition and respect for the market and the people."
The vehicle is built in the same facility as the electric Vovo EX90 SUV. Both vehicles are based on the dedicated electric SPA2 platform. Volvo and Polestar are both subsidiaries of the Geely. Ahead of becoming its own automaker, the Polestar name was known as the performance trim level of the Volvo brand.
Polestar's move is also an indication that sustainable jobs are still growing in the United States. Like Hyundai, Polestar and Volvo are bringing more vehicle production to the US. These moves are a sign that the EV transition isn't slowing down and that there will continue to be growth in jobs surrounding mobile sustainability.