Yahoo Autos Polestar 3 Electric SUV Will Be Built in the U.S.
Polestar, the Swedish EV brand says its next car will be built in the U.S.
Called Polestar 3, it’s an “electric performance SUV,” the company says.
It will be built at the Volvo plant in Ridgeville, South Carolina.
Polestar announced that its Polestar 3, “an aerodynamic electric performance SUV,” as the company calls it, will be manufactured alongside new Volvo cars vehicles at a shared production center in Ridgeville, South Carolina. The Polestar 3s built in Ridgeville will be sold in the U.S. and might be exported as well.
The company says the move transforms Polestar “into a truly global brand with an industrial capacity in the two largest single markets for electric vehicles in the world – the USA and China – alongside its headquarters and established sales and distribution capabilities in Europe.”
“I remember the great response when I first shared Polestar’s vision here in the USA and I am proud that our first SUV will be manufactured in South Carolina,” said Polestar boss Thomas Ingenlath. “From now on, the USA is no longer an export market but a home market.”
Polestar says the manufacturing announcement also underlines its “commitment to the American retail market, which is undergoing a period of rapid expansion.”
It says it plans to open around 25 retail ‘Spaces’ across the country in 2021. The Spaces offer customers home test drives, free pick-up and delivery servicing, and mobile service for consumers in markets still awaiting the opening of a Polestar Space.
Volvo Cars opened the Ridgeville plant in 2018. Polestar figures its ability to share a production facility with Volvo “highlights the significant industrial and financial synergies it generates” because of its ownership structure.
“Production in the USA reduces delivery times as well as the environmental impact associated with shipping vehicles around the world. It will even have a positive impact on the price of Polestar 3,” says Polestar coo Dennis Nobelius. “All of this makes the brand even more competitive in the critical American sales market.”
Polestar 3 also debuts a new EV architecture from Volvo the company said. The crossover will have what Polestar is calling “industry-leading connectivity features based on Google’s native Android Automotive OS infotainment system, as well as high-end, safety-focused autonomous driving features.”
Polestar 3 production is expected to begin globally in 2022. Polestar says full product details will be made available “at a later date.”
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