Polestar has been banned in the United States. Will it arrive in Poland this year?
The U.S. Department of Commerce has banned Polestar from selling cars starting with the 2027 model year, meaning those vehicles that would have been delivered soon. As a result, the company is withdrawing from the U.S. and “focusing on the Old Continent.” This is the only market where the brand is doing relatively well (around 80 percent of deliveries), as it is also struggling in its home market of China. The expansion plans announced recently include Eastern Europe (read: our region), with several launches in new markets set to take place this year.
Polestar exits, Volvo at risk, Poland may benefit
A few weeks ago, it was revealed that the Americans are working on regulations that would allow for the legal exclusion from the market of companies controlled by “governments of hostile countries,” namely China, North Korea, or Russia. The situation was described as potentially dangerous for Mercedes, as its largest shareholders are China’s BAIC and investment funds owned by Geely’s owner. Meanwhile, Polestar was the first to suffer, officially announcing a ban on selling its cars in the United States.
The company was banned under the new “Connected Vehicles Rules.” The U.S. is concerned that Polestar might be forced to share its data or allow foreign agents remote access to vehicles operating in the United States. This was deemed a national security threat — leading to a ban on further operations. Officials were clearly not convinced that the Polestar 3 (image above) is manufactured at an American factory. There was likely no doubt about the models 2, 4, and 5, as they came directly from China.
Polestar 5 – Polestar 4 – Polestar 3 – Polestar 2
The company stated that it will provide after-sales support to its customers and clear out existing stock of the Polestar 3 and 4. However, Europe is set to become the main sales market and “growth engine” for the brand, where the latest Polestar 7, a compact crossover, will also be produced, announced CEO Michael Lochscheller. The company intends to invest in markets such as the Far East, Latin America, and Canada, as well as, importantly, Eastern Europe.
The English term “Eastern Europe” as defined by Europeans refers to Belarus, Ukraine, and western Russia—countries that are relatively difficult for business operations when it comes to premium products like Polestar vehicles. Lochscheller likely meant the former Eastern Bloc, namely Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, and smaller countries to the south of them. This leads to the editorial speculation that Polestar might soon arrive in Poland, especially since we already have at least one active brand service center there. However, we wouldn’t be surprised if it starts in Czechia in September due to its proximity to Austria—Poland has recently been heavily saturated by other manufacturers from China.
Polestar service locations in our part of Europe. The Warsaw Volvo service center has disappeared from the map
Editor’s note from Elektrowozu: It seems we’ll need to find a different term than “American” for institutions from the United States. “American” implies the entire North America, yet only the U.S. pursues an isolationist policy there; Canada remains open to cooperation. So, should it be “U.S. Department of Trade”? “Trumpian”? “Neo-American”?
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