The last units of the Polestar 2 have reportedly already rolled off the production line in Luqiao, China. While the company has not yet officially announced the end of production, it is already directing its customers in several European markets towards vehicles available in stock instead of accepting new configurable orders.
The Polestar 2 has been manufactured in Luqiao since March 2020. According to media reports, just over 200,000 vehicles were produced there. Polestar last reported more than 190,000 units sold.
The model was especially important for Norway, where more than 16,000 Polestar 2 cars were sold. Polestar Norge recently described this model as decisive for the brand’s strong entry into the market. This is because the Polestar 2’s roots date back to the Volvo era. In 2016, Volvo presented concept studies 40.1 and 40.2. While the 40.1 later evolved into the XC40, the 40.2 eventually became the Polestar 2.
The model received its most significant technical update in 2024. At that time, Polestar changed key variants from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive and extensively revised the powertrain.
From Volvo concept to Polestar success model
An all-new successor is expected to arrive in early 2027. Polestar has already announced that the next generation will not be a simple facelift but a fundamentally new vehicle. Norwegian announcer TV 2 Broom reports that it will be a new crossover. However, Polestar has not yet officially confirmed the body style, platform or production location. In markets such as Norway and Sweden, new configurations are no longer accepted and buyers are directed to put vehicles into storage. This means that one of the brand’s most important models will be discontinued before its successor is available.
The model change also coincides with a phase in which Polestar is reorganizing its model range and regional focus. In the first half of 2026, global sales increased only slightly, by 0.4 percent, to 30,423 vehicles, while revenue fell by around four percent, to 1.36 billion US dollars. At the same time, Polestar significantly reduced its operating losses.
For the full year, the company lowered its growth forecast from the low double-digit percentage range to the low-to-mid single-digit percentage range. Among the reasons cited by Polestar are the phasing out of the Polestar 2’s life cycle and changes to its US business.
Starting with the 2027 model year, Polestar will no longer be able to sell new vehicles in the US due to the Connected Vehicle Rule. Around 80 percent of sales now come from Europe, making the continent even more critical for the next generation of models. Despite these challenges, Polestar started 2026 strong with 13,126 vehicles sold in the first quarter, as the brand achieved its best first quarter to date. However, as the year progressed, it became clear that the Polestar 2 model change and restructuring in the United States were holding back growth.
The Polestar 4 SUV launched in September 2026 is already in production in Busan, South Korea, with manufacturing starting in the second quarter. Although the model can now be ordered, it will take some time before the first units reach customers in Europe. While first deliveries are scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, the configurator indicates a delivery window of January to February 2027 for the German market.
For Polestar, the end of production in China is more than just a model change. The Polestar 2 was the brand’s foundation and, for years, its most important volume model. The successor must now not only impress technically but also fill a gap as Polestar expands its portfolio and shifts its focus more strongly towards Europe.
electric-vehicles.com, tv2.no
