Polestar Addresses Its Self-Made Naming Nightmare For Next-Gen 2

Polestar had to pull the Polestar 2 from the market due to American tariffs; the brand builds the car in China. And that presents the brand with a conundrum. The early adopters who took a chance on Polestar and bought or leased a Polestar 2 have no like-for-like option to return to. But Polestar has confirmed that won't be the case forever.

The Polestar 2 Is Returning... As The Polestar 2
Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller confirmed to the Australian outlet Drive that the brand will build a successor to the Polestar 2 to help retain its current owners. Shifting them to the Polestar 3 may not work out, as the company's current strategy of massive lease discounts on the Polestar 3 may not be sustainable. Drive predicts the new Polestar 2 is about three years away.

"Let's word it like this: I want to have those current Polestar 2 customers back," Lohscheller told Drive. "I want to have those, because we built it up [the customer base]. I think we did a great job, and I want to keep them in the family."

Lohscheller also resolved a question about Polestar nomenclature. Thus far, the company has simply named its cars in the numerical order for which they've been announced, starting with the Polestar 1. This successor is technically a new car, but the brand will not just keep using a higher number ad infinitum. The replacement for the Polestar 2 will bring back the "Polestar 2" nameplate.

"No, that's important because we have set it up so successfully," Lohscheller told Drive. "It has, as I said, 180,000 customers at the moment, right? There will be a Polestar 2 successor, for sure. For sure."

The Polestar CEO did not confirm the Polestar 2's successor would have the same liftback body style. He noted that the brand would "develop things further" and "not just do the same thing as in the past." The new vehicle may share a platform with a smaller Polestar 7 crossover and take on a more sedan-like design.

Those tariffs against Chinese-built vehicles killed the 2 in America, and they may impact the chance to get the 884-horsepower Polestar 5 as well. And the tariff on Chinese-built vehicles, first instituted by the Biden administration, should have the most staying power of any American automotive tariffs.

If Polestar is to bring the Polestar 2 successor to America, it may need to find a workaround. Polestar shares an American production facility with Volvo, where it builds the Polestar 3. However, excess capacity seems earmarked for Volvo's best-selling XC60 and a new SUV, which could be an EREV.

The best option for Polestar may be to find a way to produce it in Europe, where a negotiated trade settlement is in place. Given the complexity of American tariffs and general uncertainty, importing the vehicle may arguably be easier than building it in the United States.