1 Popular EV Sedan Is Built in China
China has one of the fastest-growing electric vehicle markets in the world. Whether it be BYD, NIO, SAIC, or Geely, Chinese brands are sending EVs worldwide. However, in some cases, a Chinese EV won’t be a badged product of one of the country’s electric vehicle titans, but rather a popular EV sedan from a foreign subbrand owned by and manufactured in China. Such is the case with the Polestar 2, a Swedish-designed EV from a Geely-and-Volvo-owned subbrand manufactured at Polestar’s factory in Taizhou.
The Polestar 2 EV sedan rolls off the line of the brand’s factory in Taizhou, China
It’s no secret that Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, better known as “Geely,” owns the Swedish brand Volvo. However, not every car enthusiast knows the story of the racing team-turned-Volvo subbrand Polestar. In 2015, Volvo acquired complete ownership of Polestar, five years after Ford sold Volvo to Geely Holdings.
Today, the Polestar’s most affordable EV sedan in the American market, the Polestar 2, ships from China to worldwide markets. The “Luqiao Super Factory” is a large facility in the Taizhou district of Zhejiang Province. According to the brand, while the Chengdu facility once produced the brand’s now-discontinued Polestar 1, the newer EV sedan is a product of the shared production facility in Taizhou. Interestingly enough, TrueCar says the EV model isn’t eligible for the federal clean vehicle tax credit due to its origins.
Moreover, the Luqiao Super Factory focuses on the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform. And the Polestar 2, you guessed it, rides on the CMA platform. If you didn’t know, the CMA also resides under the Volvo XC40, as well as many Lynk & Co and Geely EVs.
Of course, the little EV sedan isn’t the only American or European EV with manufacturing facilities in China. The Tesla Model 3, a close rival, has assembly origins in the company’s Gigafactory Shanghai location. However, the Model 3 and Model Y EVs from Gigafactory Shanghai head down the supply line to the Asian and European markets rather than North America. Instead, the Tesla Model 3s you see on American streets originated in the Fremont, California facility.
