Volvo and Polestar: Should They Have Stayed Under One Brand?

Back in 2017, Swedish automaker Volvo announced it would spin off its Polestar performance sub-brand into a standalone company, aimed at selling electric vehicles. The move seemed odd at the time, considering the Polestar name never carried the same cachet as BMW M or Mercedes-AMG. In the years since its launch, Polestar has released some interesting products, but it’s failed to catch on as a truly “mainstream” brand, selling only 44,851 vehicles globally in 2024. For reference, Volvo sold 763,389 (175,194 if you only count EVs).