Polestar has built its first 5,000 Polestar 4 SUVs in Busan, South Korea, and they're headed to Europe, CEO Michael Lohscheller told Automotive News Europe in an interview published Monday, Oct. 20, 2026. "It's true that Europe is somewhat flat, but the solution is the car we are launching now, the Polestar 4 SUV," he said, adding that "orders for the car are strong, so we are very confident," according to EV.

What 5,000 cars means for Polestar

  • 34.8% of the estimated 14,371 cars Polestar retailed worldwide in Q3 2026, EV calculates.
  • 40.9% of its 12,211 Q3 sales outside the U.S., which fell 7.9%.
  • 11.2% of the 44,790 cars it retailed in the first nine months of 2026.

Lohscheller didn't say over what period the cars were built, how many have been ordered, or how many will reach customers this year. Polestar launched the SUV on Sept. 2 and plans first deliveries in the fourth quarter, EV.com and Motor Trade News report.

The car

The SUV keeps the Polestar 4 coupe's 100 kWh battery but adds a conventional rear window, 2.5 cm (1 in) more rear headroom and 530 to 1,665 liters of cargo space. The rear-motor version makes 272 hp with up to 630 km (391 miles) of WLTP range; the dual-motor makes 544 hp and hits 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds. German prices start at €57,900, €65,900 for the dual-motor and €76,300 with the Performance pack.

It's built at a plant run by Renault Korea, 35% owned by Polestar's controlling shareholder Geely. Building in Korea avoids the extra 18.8% EU duty that Polestar pays on China-built cars, on top of the standard 10%. "Our strategy is to regionalize as quickly as we can," Lohscheller said.

The money problem

Polestar lost $842 million on $1.36 billion of revenue in the first half, its adjusted gross margin was negative 8.5%, and its half-year filing flagged "significant doubt" about its ability to continue as a going concern. It has since signed a $400 million loan facility with a Geely unit, $100 million of it committed. Q3 results are due Nov. 5.

What it means for Tesla

The Polestar 4 SUV is another premium electric SUV aimed at European buyers that also shop the Model Y, which Tesla builds for Europe at Giga Berlin. For how resale values compare across Europe, see the Q3 EV resale index.