Polestar will start manufacturing vehicles in South Carolina from 2024 for US and European markets.
The announcement was made by Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath in a discussion with Reuters at the Auto Shanghai 2023 show.
The premium electric vehicle maker, which was founded by Volvo and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, has been producing its existing three models – the Polestar 1, Polestar 2, and Polestar 3 – at two plants in China, one in the southwestern city of Chengdu and another in the eastern coastal city of Taizhou.
The company has been exporting its China-made vehicles to overseas markets, including the United States and Europe.
“We have an opportunity to go to South Carolina with Polestar 3. The new EV brands that are building up, they can’t go out immediately to build factories there. You need a decent volume,” Ingenlath said in an interview. The Polestar 3 will be made in South Carolina alongside the Volvo EX90 sister car.
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He added that not that many China automakers are exporting. Ingenlath previously said at the show that the company expects production of the recently unveiled Polestar 4 to start later this year in China’s Hangzhou Bay.
Pre-orders for the Polestar 4 already began in China on April 18, with Polestar planning to grow its outlets in China to 80 from 14 by the end of this year. Pre-orders will open in all other markets in 2024, the executive said.
Technically, Polestar might build the Polestar 4 in the US as well, seeing as it’s closely related to the Polestar 3 from a mechanical point of view. However, Ingenlath did not suggest anything in this regard.
Polestar had a record year in 2022 with more than 50,000 deliveries worldwide; the company plans to sell 80,000 vehicles this year, mostly by increasing deliveries of the Polestar 2 sedan.
The carmaker has big ambitions for its new SUV lineup, forecasting production of more than 160,000 SUVs a year by 2025, most of which will find customers in the United States. For the Polestar 4 specifically, the company expects to sell 43,000 units worldwide in 2024, followed by 79,000 units in 2025.
