Latest news with #Geely-owned
Miami Herald
17-07-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Volvo Cuts US Lineup to Survive Against Trump's Tariffs
According to reports by both Reuters and Automotive News, Swedish automaker Volvo is making some drastic cuts to its lineup to turn a profit as President Donald Trump's tariffs make it harder to sell a broad range of vehicles in the U.S. Previously, Volvo offered a range of sedans and station wagons alongside a selection of crossover SUVs; however, the Geely-owned automaker said that it will fully phase out these cars from its U.S. offerings due to declining consumer demand and complications from import tariffs. According to a Volvo spokesperson who spoke to AutoNews, Volvo will cease offering the Chinese-assembled S90 and the Swedish and Belgian-assembled V60 wagons in the U.S. starting in the 2026 model year. This leaves the V60 Cross Country as the only non-SUV in Volvo's U.S. lineup. This decision comes as the U.S. has levied tariffs of 27.5% on European-made cars and 100% on EVs imported from China, forcing automakers to review their product strategies. In light of this, Volvo Cars CEO Håkan Samuelsson said in remarks on CNBC's Europe Early Edition on July 17 that the company would "definitely not" pull out of the U.S. market, where it has been present for 70 years, adding that it will bring the XC60 into production in the U.S. "What we are doing is, first of all, we want to fill our factory that we have in South Carolina. It should be the strategic asset it was intended to be. So, we have to utilize it more," Samuelsson said. "Second, of course, now with the tariffs, it is very natural to bring in a [car model with] big-selling volume. We are bringing in the XC60 SUV," he added. Following a July 16 announcement, Samuelsson said during Volvo Cars' Q2 2025 earnings call on July 17 that U.S. production of the XC60 will ramp up in early 2027. Despite currently being tasked with EX90 and Polestar 3 production, Volvo's South Carolina assembly plant only made about 20,000 vehicles last year-just 13% of its capacity. The XC60 "will bring high volumes to the factory [and] together with the increase in the EX90, will give that factory much better utilization," Samuelsson said. Volvo CFO Fredrik Hansson added that the cost of localizing XC60 production is in the "very low single-digit billion [U.S. Dollars]." as it previously built the S60 sedan, which is mechanically similar to the XC60. "The plant is already adapted for that production," Hansson said. "That means we can find very cost-efficient ways to [build the XC60]." Following the announcement of a 10 billion Swedish kronor ($1 billion) Q2 2025 operating loss, Volvo Cars CEO Hakan Samuelsson said that the European Union should reduce its tariffs on U.S. car imports while politicians in Brussels work toward a trade agreement with the Trump administration. "If Europe is for free trade, we should be the ones showing the way and going down to very low tariffs first," Samuelsson told Reuters, adding that European automakers do not need protection from U.S. competitors. "I think it's absolutely unnecessary, the European car industry definitely does not need to have any protection from American auto builders." In a series of letters written to the leaders of other countries and key trading partners, President Donald Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on imported goods from the EU to 30% on Aug. 1. Previously, the U.S. had a 2.5% tariff on EU-built cars, while the EU had a 10% tariff on imported vehicles from the U.S. However, Samuelsson recognizes that he has limited say as a businessperson and can only limit his company's exposure to it. "These are the measures we have control over, rather than when it comes to tariffs, we can only have an opinion like everybody else," he said. In remarks to Reuters, Bill Wallace, the owner of the Wallace Automotive Group, which owns Volvo retail locations in Florida, told the newswire that in the luxury segment that Volvo competes for buyers in, shoppers are quick to pick other brands if pricing becomes an issue. "At the end of the day, even with a luxury model, they are going to compare their payment with a BMW, Lexus, or a similar model … and if it's a little bit higher … you're just gonna lose the business," he said. Wallace does have a point. Although Volvo has a reputation for building and selling fairly attractive and solid mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid luxury SUVs, it is doing so in a crowded market. To make matters worse, Mercedes and BMW's answers to the XC90 are both made in the United States. As I said before, Volvo CEO Samuelsson may be determined to increase American production of its high-volume models while the U.S. engages in challenging trade discussions with nearly every nation, but any decisions about the company's future must be carefully calculated if it wants to continue selling in the U.S. from here on out. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Polestar reports H1 sales ramped up 51%
Polestar, the Geely-owned car brand, has reported a 38% increase in retail sales volumes in the second quarter (Q2) of 2025, with an estimated 18,049 cars sold. For the first half of the year, Polestar has sold 30,319 cars, marking a 51% increase from the same period of the previous year. Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller said: 'We've delivered another strong quarter of growth in increasingly challenging market and geopolitical conditions. 'Volume growth of 38% in the second quarter and 51% in the first half of the year is a clear sign that our retail expansion is delivering and that more customers are choosing Polestar.' This growth follows a strong Q1, where sales were up 76% compared to the same period in the previous year. In April, amidst a challenging economic environment, Polestar maintained stable sales from the last quarter of 2024, with Q1 2025 sales volumes reaching around 12,304 cars. The company has made a substantial $200m equity investment last month from PSD Investment, controlled by Eric Li, founder and chairman of Geely Holding Group. This investment came through the sale of 190 million Class A American Depositary Shares to PSD Investment by Polestar Automotive Holding UK. The Sweden car brand's expansion continued with the commencement of sales in France, making it the 28th market for the brand. Its French customers can order the full model lineup, including the Polestar 2, Polestar 3, and Polestar 4. Looking ahead, Polestar plans to introduce the Polestar 5 four-door GT this year, followed by the Polestar 6 roadster and the Polestar 7 compact SUV. The company has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Volvo Cars, another Geely unit, to manufacture the upcoming Polestar 7 in Kosice, Slovakia. The Polestar 7 is set to launch in 2028 and will be developed using engineering architectures from within the Geely Holding Group. It will benefit from group component sharing, 'next-generation battery density', and in-house developed e-motors. Polestar has its presence in 27 markets across Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America. "Polestar reports H1 sales ramped up 51%" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
The Advertiser
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Advertiser
Tesla arch-rival Polestar achieves sales record
Polestar has recorded a 51 per cent year-on-year increase in global sales for the first six months of 2025, giving the electric vehicle (EV) brand its highest ever sales figure for the first half of a year. The sales surge included a 23 per cent increase in Australia, powered by the introduction of the brand's first SUVs. The automaker's 30,319 vehicles sold globally to the end of June 2025 (H1) compares to 20,371 over the same period last year – heavily impacted by rental car giant Hertz's cancelled order – and betters 27,868 Polestars sold in the first half of 2023. It becomes the brand's best half-year sales by 28 cars after 30,291 Polestars were sold in the second half of 2022. The figure means Polestar is on track for a record year after 2024's 15 per cent decline to 44,851 full-year sales. Australia sales are up, too, with not only the aforementioned 23 per cent rise for H1, but also a more impressive 38 per cent rise in the second quarter of this year (April-June). Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Year-to-date, Polestar has sold 1173 cars in Australia, with the new Polestar 4 mid-size SUV – introduced in November last year – making up more than half, with 676 sales. Polestar is sitting at 35th in overall brand sales, above Genesis (#38, 765 sales) and fellow Geely-owned brand Zeekr (#41, 450 sales). While the Polestar 4 led the sales race, end-of-financial-year deals on the Polestar 3 and run-out deals – which remain ongoing – for the Polestar 2 also boosted sales. "It's exactly the target [of] where we want to be," Polestar Australia managing director Scott Maynard told CarExpert and select media on a conference call. Mr Maynard said its Australian sales numbers could have been higher, too"Our number in June [339] was slightly held back on the potential that we had, more by our ability to physically pre-deliver and deliver all of the cars that we had in our order bank," he said. "We carried an active order bank into July that's substantially more than the number that we put through the system in June – there's clearly some pent up demand, and our ability to service that is going to be key." Mr Maynard took over from Samantha Johnson as the head of the local arm of the EV maker just over 12 months ago. "I'm really comfortable with that result because it's driven predominantly by private [sales]; it's not being topped up by the bulk fleet deliveries that sustained our 2024 result," he said. "There was a particularly large bulk delivery through the system in June of last year, and despite that, we're still showing significant improvement. "That was the last of that style of bulk deliveries that we did. And whilst we still see a place for fleet, not in the same way, not with the same appetite that we were going for that large fleet in previous years to sustain the number. "To be able to show growth through predominantly private sales, that's going really well." Tesla still leads EV sales in Australia – despite sales declines both here and globally in the first half of the year – while the Tesla Model Y is the top-selling EV, with nearly triple the sales of the second-place BYD Sealion 7, and the Polestar 4 sitting 14th. Despite its growth, Polestar Australia sits behind the EV sales of Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and BMW – the latter of which has sold almost triple the number of EVs in Australia this year. "It doesn't greatly concern me that we're not outselling Volvo, given we don't have the same number of sales points, nor intend to, and we don't have the same breadth of range, and nor do we intend to, so I'm okay with that position," said Mr Maynard. "Some of those other brands are brands that have been operating in this country for many, many years, and for us to have been selling cars in Australia for three and two of those with one model puts us in a really strong position, provided we continue to grow like that, but I'm comfortable we can." The EV brand will open order books one another new model this year – the Porsche Taycan-rivalling Polestar 5 – but first customer deliveries won't be until 2026, so it won't add to its 2025 sales tally. It won't have another new vehicle in its lineup until the Polestar 7 SUV arrives in Australia – currently scheduled for 2028 – which will be followed by the delayed Polestar 6 sports car. "We're quite excited now about the second half, and we expect to see the same overall, better than the Australian market," Mr Maynard said. "If I look at the brands that are growing in Australia right now, and I'm talking across all drive platforms, not just EV, Polestar's growth is second only to Rolls-Royce and Mini," he added. "Now that's the premium competitor set that we analyse, but that set takes in all the brands I think we would generally consider in the premium set. So, it's the growth aspect that we're really thrilled about." MORE: Everything Polestar Content originally sourced from: Polestar has recorded a 51 per cent year-on-year increase in global sales for the first six months of 2025, giving the electric vehicle (EV) brand its highest ever sales figure for the first half of a year. The sales surge included a 23 per cent increase in Australia, powered by the introduction of the brand's first SUVs. The automaker's 30,319 vehicles sold globally to the end of June 2025 (H1) compares to 20,371 over the same period last year – heavily impacted by rental car giant Hertz's cancelled order – and betters 27,868 Polestars sold in the first half of 2023. It becomes the brand's best half-year sales by 28 cars after 30,291 Polestars were sold in the second half of 2022. The figure means Polestar is on track for a record year after 2024's 15 per cent decline to 44,851 full-year sales. Australia sales are up, too, with not only the aforementioned 23 per cent rise for H1, but also a more impressive 38 per cent rise in the second quarter of this year (April-June). Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Year-to-date, Polestar has sold 1173 cars in Australia, with the new Polestar 4 mid-size SUV – introduced in November last year – making up more than half, with 676 sales. Polestar is sitting at 35th in overall brand sales, above Genesis (#38, 765 sales) and fellow Geely-owned brand Zeekr (#41, 450 sales). While the Polestar 4 led the sales race, end-of-financial-year deals on the Polestar 3 and run-out deals – which remain ongoing – for the Polestar 2 also boosted sales. "It's exactly the target [of] where we want to be," Polestar Australia managing director Scott Maynard told CarExpert and select media on a conference call. Mr Maynard said its Australian sales numbers could have been higher, too"Our number in June [339] was slightly held back on the potential that we had, more by our ability to physically pre-deliver and deliver all of the cars that we had in our order bank," he said. "We carried an active order bank into July that's substantially more than the number that we put through the system in June – there's clearly some pent up demand, and our ability to service that is going to be key." Mr Maynard took over from Samantha Johnson as the head of the local arm of the EV maker just over 12 months ago. "I'm really comfortable with that result because it's driven predominantly by private [sales]; it's not being topped up by the bulk fleet deliveries that sustained our 2024 result," he said. "There was a particularly large bulk delivery through the system in June of last year, and despite that, we're still showing significant improvement. "That was the last of that style of bulk deliveries that we did. And whilst we still see a place for fleet, not in the same way, not with the same appetite that we were going for that large fleet in previous years to sustain the number. "To be able to show growth through predominantly private sales, that's going really well." Tesla still leads EV sales in Australia – despite sales declines both here and globally in the first half of the year – while the Tesla Model Y is the top-selling EV, with nearly triple the sales of the second-place BYD Sealion 7, and the Polestar 4 sitting 14th. Despite its growth, Polestar Australia sits behind the EV sales of Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and BMW – the latter of which has sold almost triple the number of EVs in Australia this year. "It doesn't greatly concern me that we're not outselling Volvo, given we don't have the same number of sales points, nor intend to, and we don't have the same breadth of range, and nor do we intend to, so I'm okay with that position," said Mr Maynard. "Some of those other brands are brands that have been operating in this country for many, many years, and for us to have been selling cars in Australia for three and two of those with one model puts us in a really strong position, provided we continue to grow like that, but I'm comfortable we can." The EV brand will open order books one another new model this year – the Porsche Taycan-rivalling Polestar 5 – but first customer deliveries won't be until 2026, so it won't add to its 2025 sales tally. It won't have another new vehicle in its lineup until the Polestar 7 SUV arrives in Australia – currently scheduled for 2028 – which will be followed by the delayed Polestar 6 sports car. "We're quite excited now about the second half, and we expect to see the same overall, better than the Australian market," Mr Maynard said. "If I look at the brands that are growing in Australia right now, and I'm talking across all drive platforms, not just EV, Polestar's growth is second only to Rolls-Royce and Mini," he added. "Now that's the premium competitor set that we analyse, but that set takes in all the brands I think we would generally consider in the premium set. So, it's the growth aspect that we're really thrilled about." MORE: Everything Polestar Content originally sourced from: Polestar has recorded a 51 per cent year-on-year increase in global sales for the first six months of 2025, giving the electric vehicle (EV) brand its highest ever sales figure for the first half of a year. The sales surge included a 23 per cent increase in Australia, powered by the introduction of the brand's first SUVs. The automaker's 30,319 vehicles sold globally to the end of June 2025 (H1) compares to 20,371 over the same period last year – heavily impacted by rental car giant Hertz's cancelled order – and betters 27,868 Polestars sold in the first half of 2023. It becomes the brand's best half-year sales by 28 cars after 30,291 Polestars were sold in the second half of 2022. The figure means Polestar is on track for a record year after 2024's 15 per cent decline to 44,851 full-year sales. Australia sales are up, too, with not only the aforementioned 23 per cent rise for H1, but also a more impressive 38 per cent rise in the second quarter of this year (April-June). Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Year-to-date, Polestar has sold 1173 cars in Australia, with the new Polestar 4 mid-size SUV – introduced in November last year – making up more than half, with 676 sales. Polestar is sitting at 35th in overall brand sales, above Genesis (#38, 765 sales) and fellow Geely-owned brand Zeekr (#41, 450 sales). While the Polestar 4 led the sales race, end-of-financial-year deals on the Polestar 3 and run-out deals – which remain ongoing – for the Polestar 2 also boosted sales. "It's exactly the target [of] where we want to be," Polestar Australia managing director Scott Maynard told CarExpert and select media on a conference call. Mr Maynard said its Australian sales numbers could have been higher, too"Our number in June [339] was slightly held back on the potential that we had, more by our ability to physically pre-deliver and deliver all of the cars that we had in our order bank," he said. "We carried an active order bank into July that's substantially more than the number that we put through the system in June – there's clearly some pent up demand, and our ability to service that is going to be key." Mr Maynard took over from Samantha Johnson as the head of the local arm of the EV maker just over 12 months ago. "I'm really comfortable with that result because it's driven predominantly by private [sales]; it's not being topped up by the bulk fleet deliveries that sustained our 2024 result," he said. "There was a particularly large bulk delivery through the system in June of last year, and despite that, we're still showing significant improvement. "That was the last of that style of bulk deliveries that we did. And whilst we still see a place for fleet, not in the same way, not with the same appetite that we were going for that large fleet in previous years to sustain the number. "To be able to show growth through predominantly private sales, that's going really well." Tesla still leads EV sales in Australia – despite sales declines both here and globally in the first half of the year – while the Tesla Model Y is the top-selling EV, with nearly triple the sales of the second-place BYD Sealion 7, and the Polestar 4 sitting 14th. Despite its growth, Polestar Australia sits behind the EV sales of Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and BMW – the latter of which has sold almost triple the number of EVs in Australia this year. "It doesn't greatly concern me that we're not outselling Volvo, given we don't have the same number of sales points, nor intend to, and we don't have the same breadth of range, and nor do we intend to, so I'm okay with that position," said Mr Maynard. "Some of those other brands are brands that have been operating in this country for many, many years, and for us to have been selling cars in Australia for three and two of those with one model puts us in a really strong position, provided we continue to grow like that, but I'm comfortable we can." The EV brand will open order books one another new model this year – the Porsche Taycan-rivalling Polestar 5 – but first customer deliveries won't be until 2026, so it won't add to its 2025 sales tally. It won't have another new vehicle in its lineup until the Polestar 7 SUV arrives in Australia – currently scheduled for 2028 – which will be followed by the delayed Polestar 6 sports car. "We're quite excited now about the second half, and we expect to see the same overall, better than the Australian market," Mr Maynard said. "If I look at the brands that are growing in Australia right now, and I'm talking across all drive platforms, not just EV, Polestar's growth is second only to Rolls-Royce and Mini," he added. "Now that's the premium competitor set that we analyse, but that set takes in all the brands I think we would generally consider in the premium set. So, it's the growth aspect that we're really thrilled about." MORE: Everything Polestar Content originally sourced from: Polestar has recorded a 51 per cent year-on-year increase in global sales for the first six months of 2025, giving the electric vehicle (EV) brand its highest ever sales figure for the first half of a year. The sales surge included a 23 per cent increase in Australia, powered by the introduction of the brand's first SUVs. The automaker's 30,319 vehicles sold globally to the end of June 2025 (H1) compares to 20,371 over the same period last year – heavily impacted by rental car giant Hertz's cancelled order – and betters 27,868 Polestars sold in the first half of 2023. It becomes the brand's best half-year sales by 28 cars after 30,291 Polestars were sold in the second half of 2022. The figure means Polestar is on track for a record year after 2024's 15 per cent decline to 44,851 full-year sales. Australia sales are up, too, with not only the aforementioned 23 per cent rise for H1, but also a more impressive 38 per cent rise in the second quarter of this year (April-June). Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Year-to-date, Polestar has sold 1173 cars in Australia, with the new Polestar 4 mid-size SUV – introduced in November last year – making up more than half, with 676 sales. Polestar is sitting at 35th in overall brand sales, above Genesis (#38, 765 sales) and fellow Geely-owned brand Zeekr (#41, 450 sales). While the Polestar 4 led the sales race, end-of-financial-year deals on the Polestar 3 and run-out deals – which remain ongoing – for the Polestar 2 also boosted sales. "It's exactly the target [of] where we want to be," Polestar Australia managing director Scott Maynard told CarExpert and select media on a conference call. Mr Maynard said its Australian sales numbers could have been higher, too"Our number in June [339] was slightly held back on the potential that we had, more by our ability to physically pre-deliver and deliver all of the cars that we had in our order bank," he said. "We carried an active order bank into July that's substantially more than the number that we put through the system in June – there's clearly some pent up demand, and our ability to service that is going to be key." Mr Maynard took over from Samantha Johnson as the head of the local arm of the EV maker just over 12 months ago. "I'm really comfortable with that result because it's driven predominantly by private [sales]; it's not being topped up by the bulk fleet deliveries that sustained our 2024 result," he said. "There was a particularly large bulk delivery through the system in June of last year, and despite that, we're still showing significant improvement. "That was the last of that style of bulk deliveries that we did. And whilst we still see a place for fleet, not in the same way, not with the same appetite that we were going for that large fleet in previous years to sustain the number. "To be able to show growth through predominantly private sales, that's going really well." Tesla still leads EV sales in Australia – despite sales declines both here and globally in the first half of the year – while the Tesla Model Y is the top-selling EV, with nearly triple the sales of the second-place BYD Sealion 7, and the Polestar 4 sitting 14th. Despite its growth, Polestar Australia sits behind the EV sales of Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and BMW – the latter of which has sold almost triple the number of EVs in Australia this year. "It doesn't greatly concern me that we're not outselling Volvo, given we don't have the same number of sales points, nor intend to, and we don't have the same breadth of range, and nor do we intend to, so I'm okay with that position," said Mr Maynard. "Some of those other brands are brands that have been operating in this country for many, many years, and for us to have been selling cars in Australia for three and two of those with one model puts us in a really strong position, provided we continue to grow like that, but I'm comfortable we can." The EV brand will open order books one another new model this year – the Porsche Taycan-rivalling Polestar 5 – but first customer deliveries won't be until 2026, so it won't add to its 2025 sales tally. It won't have another new vehicle in its lineup until the Polestar 7 SUV arrives in Australia – currently scheduled for 2028 – which will be followed by the delayed Polestar 6 sports car. "We're quite excited now about the second half, and we expect to see the same overall, better than the Australian market," Mr Maynard said. "If I look at the brands that are growing in Australia right now, and I'm talking across all drive platforms, not just EV, Polestar's growth is second only to Rolls-Royce and Mini," he added. "Now that's the premium competitor set that we analyse, but that set takes in all the brands I think we would generally consider in the premium set. So, it's the growth aspect that we're really thrilled about." MORE: Everything Polestar Content originally sourced from:
7NEWS
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- 7NEWS
2028 Polestar 7 small SUV teased, will share a lot with Volvo
Polestar is working closely with fellow Geely-owned brand Volvo when it comes to its upcoming Polestar 7, which will be built at a Volvo plant and will use Volvo technology. The all-new small electric SUV will be launched in 2028 and produced at a new Volvo Cars factory in Kosice, Slovakia. Volvo has also confirmed the new Polestar 7 will be followed by an as-yet unnamed next-generation model of its own, which will also be produced in the same plant. While all Polestars sold in Australia are produced in China, the EV brand has been diversifying its manufacturing operations, with the Polestar 3 large SUV entering production in the US and the Polestar 4 mid-size SUV soon to be produced in Korea. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Despite the name, the Polestar 7 will be the brand's smallest model as Polestar persists with a naming system based on the order in which it launches its models – even though the Polestar 6 convertible's launch has been pushed back to after the 7's. Confused? Basically, don't expect a BMW 7 Series limousine rival, but rather a compact electric SUV and therefore likely a corporate cousin to models like the Volvo EX30, Smart #3 and Zeekr X from elsewhere within the Geely empire. A single teaser image of the Polestar 7 released this week doesn't reveal much, other than bold daytime running lights that fit in neatly with those employed by other Polestar products. Polestar says the new SUV will 'utilise a technology base from Volvo Cars, benefiting from group component sharing, cell-to-body technology with next-generation battery density and performance, as well as the next generation of in-house developed e-motors'. That indicates a shared platform, rather than a Polestar-specific platform like that used by the Polestar 5 grand tourer due later this year, though the brand promises 'adaptations will be made to create the driving experience and performance characteristics that Polestar is known for'. Volvo has confirmed the Polestar 7 will share a 'common technology base' with the upcoming Volvo EX60, which will be based on the new SPA3 platform, as well as an unspecified Volvo. Existing Polestar vehicles already share their platforms with other Geely-owned brands. Slovakia is becoming an increasingly popular production location, with Jaguar Land Rover also manufacturing its Land Rover Defender and Discovery there, and the Volkswagen Group manufacturing the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg there. Kia and Stellantis also produce vehicles there for the European market. Above: Polestar 3 production Polestar notes the location of the Kosice factory 'offers good logistical connections to European markets and a developed supplier base', while Volvo has confirmed the plant – which is costing 1.2 billion euros (A$2.15bn) to develop – will be able to produce up to 250,000 cars per year. But producing the vehicle in Europe also means it won't be subject to tariffs imposed by the European Union on Chinese vehicle imports. 'Our strategy of utilising Group architectures as the base for our future model line-up gives us access to the best, latest technologies, in a cost-efficient manner,' said Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller. 'With a design and sporty driving characteristics that are instantly recognisable, Polestar 7 will set new standards in the premium compact SUV segment.' The Polestar 7 will slot in towards the bottom of the Polestar lineup, alongside the Polestar 2 fastback that's set to receive a second generation.
Perth Now
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- Perth Now
2028 Polestar 7 small SUV teased, will share a lot with Volvo
Polestar is working closely with fellow Geely-owned brand Volvo when it comes to its upcoming Polestar 7, which will be built at a Volvo plant and will use Volvo technology. The all-new small electric SUV will be launched in 2028 and produced at a new Volvo Cars factory in Kosice, Slovakia. Volvo has also confirmed the new Polestar 7 will be followed by an as-yet unnamed next-generation model of its own, which will also be produced in the same plant. While all Polestars sold in Australia are produced in China, the EV brand has been diversifying its manufacturing operations, with the Polestar 3 large SUV entering production in the US and the Polestar 4 mid-size SUV soon to be produced in Korea. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Supplied Credit: CarExpert Despite the name, the Polestar 7 will be the brand's smallest model as Polestar persists with a naming system based on the order in which it launches its models – even though the Polestar 6 convertible's launch has been pushed back to after the 7's. Confused? Basically, don't expect a BMW 7 Series limousine rival, but rather a compact electric SUV and therefore likely a corporate cousin to models like the Volvo EX30, Smart #3 and Zeekr X from elsewhere within the Geely empire. A single teaser image of the Polestar 7 released this week doesn't reveal much, other than bold daytime running lights that fit in neatly with those employed by other Polestar products. Polestar says the new SUV will 'utilise a technology base from Volvo Cars, benefiting from group component sharing, cell-to-body technology with next-generation battery density and performance, as well as the next generation of in-house developed e-motors'. Supplied Credit: CarExpert That indicates a shared platform, rather than a Polestar-specific platform like that used by the Polestar 5 grand tourer due later this year, though the brand promises 'adaptations will be made to create the driving experience and performance characteristics that Polestar is known for'. Volvo has confirmed the Polestar 7 will share a 'common technology base' with the upcoming Volvo EX60, which will be based on the new SPA3 platform, as well as an unspecified Volvo. Existing Polestar vehicles already share their platforms with other Geely-owned brands. Slovakia is becoming an increasingly popular production location, with Jaguar Land Rover also manufacturing its Land Rover Defender and Discovery there, and the Volkswagen Group manufacturing the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg there. Kia and Stellantis also produce vehicles there for the European market. Supplied Credit: CarExpert Above: Polestar 3 production Polestar notes the location of the Kosice factory 'offers good logistical connections to European markets and a developed supplier base', while Volvo has confirmed the plant – which is costing 1.2 billion euros (A$2.15bn) to develop – will be able to produce up to 250,000 cars per year. But producing the vehicle in Europe also means it won't be subject to tariffs imposed by the European Union on Chinese vehicle imports. 'Our strategy of utilising Group architectures as the base for our future model line-up gives us access to the best, latest technologies, in a cost-efficient manner,' said Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller. 'With a design and sporty driving characteristics that are instantly recognisable, Polestar 7 will set new standards in the premium compact SUV segment.' The Polestar 7 will slot in towards the bottom of the Polestar lineup, alongside the Polestar 2 fastback that's set to receive a second generation. MORE: Everything Polestar
