Where Are Polestar Cars Made, And Who Owns The Company Today?

Much in the same way that AMG used to operate separately from Mercedes-Benz, Polestar used to be an independent tuning company for Volvos. However, in 2013, Volvo announced that the first production Polestar-tweaked Volvo, the Volvo S60 Polestar, would hit showroom floors. From there, other models would follow, such as the C30 concept and production V60 Polestar.

Volvo eventually acquired 100% of Polestar in July 2015. This meant that Volvo now owned Polestar in its entirety; however, things didn't stay that way for long. According to a statement from Volvo in 2024, the Swedish automaker has been successful in distributing 62.7% of its shares in Polestar. As of now, Geely Holdings — the Chinese company that owns Volvo, in addition to Lotus, Cao Cao Mobility, and Farizon – now possesses a 24% stake in Polestar, while Volvo retains 18%. Polestar also planned to welcome new shareholders to the table in 2024 by upping its free float to 18%. A free float share is a share that is readily available for trading on the open market.

Having become an independent EV brand separate from Volvo in 2017, Polestar's direction today is very different from what it was a decade ago. Polestar currently offers a number of all-electric vehicles, and the majority of them are built at Polestar's main facility in Chengdu, China. However, Polestar is clearly keen to expand globally, as evidenced by its growing global presence.

While Polestar's main factory is in China, the company does also have a large factory in Ridgeville, South Carolina. It's here that Polestar develops models to serve the American market, such as the Polestar 3. The company has also established a separate facility in Busan, South Korea. Polestar plans to build its Polestar 4 vehicles here, for both North American and South Korean markets.

The Polestar 4 is the latest in the line-up, and is a cross between both an SUV and a coupe. The lifted ride height and large proportions provide the sort of interior space one would expect from an SUV, while a sleek and swept-back design gives the Polestar 4 a sharper design than most traditional SUVs. Prices for the Polestar 4 start at $56,400, plus a $1,400 destination fee. We found both the performance and technology impressive during our first drive of the 2025 Polestar 4, although certain design aspects did leave us questioning some decisions made by the Swedish firm.

In addition to the 4, Polestar offers the Polestar 2, which we reviewed in single motor trim, and the Tesla Model Y-rivaling Polestar 3. This range of electric SUVs has enabled Polestar to enjoy a huge increase in revenue during the first part of 2025 in the U.S., which is a promising sign of things to come.