1,2,3,4,5,7,6 Polestar CEO says the brands tech makes the US a great market for us Polestar is bringing ahead its compact SUV, the Polestar 7. Jonathan M. Gitlin Feb 5, 2025 1:45 pm | 6 Polestar made this Polestar 4 Arctic Circle (and matching Polestar 2 and 3s) for a recent ice race in Austria. Credit: Polestar Polestar made this Polestar 4 Arctic Circle (and matching Polestar 2 and 3s) for a recent ice race in Austria. Credit: Polestar Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreIn a move that will no doubt upset some of the more... orderly minded out there, Polestar is temporarily deviating from its otherwise most logical naming convention. Instead of giving its cars numbers based on some theoretical measurement of performance or their position in the showroom hierarchy, the numbers are chronological. Polestar 1 was the first, then Polestar 2, and so on.That remains true for the last couple of Polestars we drovethe big Polestar 3 SUV and the slightly smaller, slightly cheaper, Porsche Macan-rivaling Polestar 4. And later this year we should see the Polestar 5. But then it will jump to the Polestar 7, a new compact SUV, which undoubtedly has more sales potential than the drop-top Polestar 6 two-seater, no matter how sharp that car might end up looking."I brought in and changed the sequence, because I wanted to bring in the Polestar 7 because I think it's an important car," explained Michael Lohscheller, who became Polestar's CEO last fall.A new compact SUV doesn't mean the end of the fastback Polestar 2, thankfully. "The answer is no. Polestar 2 is very well established, I think it's very successful for a young brand like Polestar. It has 170,000 cars on the road. There are people who like this limousine, but I want to broaden a little bit the Polestar brand, right? And that's why this compact SUV is a key point. Because the compact SUV is just a big segment. It is the fastest growing segment in the world," Lohscheller said.Being an EV-only brand in 2025 looks to be a harder job than once anticipated, and for Polestar that's doubly hard given the company is owned by China's Geely, and therefore highly exposed to a string of recent protectionist moves by the US Congress and successive administrations to limit US exposure to Chinese automakers and their suppliers.Lohscheller didn't sound particularly pessimistic when we spoke earlier this week, though. "The US in general is a big market in terms of size. I think customers like emission-free mobility. They like also technology. And I think Polestar is much more than just [an] EV. We have so much technology in the cars," he said.Referring to the Polestar 3, "It's the first European Software Defined vehicle, right? So not only can we do the over-the-air bit, we can make the car better every day. And I mean, the German OEMs come probably in four years' time," Lohscheller said.As for the new landscape of tariffs and software bans? "I always think it's important to have clarity on things," he said. Now that the impending ban on Chinese connected-car software is on the books, Polestar has begun looking for new suppliers for its US-bound cars to ensure they're compliant when it goes into effect sometime next year."But our US strategy is very clear. We manufacture locally here. That makes a lot of sense. I think we have great products for the US market... I see a renaissance of the dealers. Many people are saying 'direct [sales] is the way to go, that's the solution of everything.' I don't think it is. It is an option, an alternative, but I think dealers, being close to your customers, offer the service, and we have an excellent network here," he said.Jonathan M. GitlinAutomotive EditorJonathan M. GitlinAutomotive Editor Jonathan is the Automotive Editor at Ars Technica. He has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology. In 2014 he decided to indulge his lifelong passion for the car by leaving the National Human Genome Research Institute and launching Ars Technica's automotive coverage. He lives in Washington, DC. 6 Comments