Polestar might not be the most high-profile manufacturer in the race to make electric cars popular, but it's very much a dark horse. The company has got backing from one of the biggest automotive conglomerates on the planet, and over twenty years of motorsport pedigree to inform the development of its road cars. In some ways, the tale of Polestar's origin is a little like the Italian performance powerhouse Maserati, in that it started as a racing team before eventually pivoting to road cars.

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However, unlike the Italians, Polestar's evolution has been a much more recent affair, as the entire outfit was only founded 26 years ago. So, how exactly has Polestar gone from a Swedish touring carmaker to a global EV manufacturer in such a short space of time? Well, let's take a closer dive into the brand's history and see what makes it tick and why Polestar might be a name to watch out for in the near future.

10 It Started As A Volvo Racing Team

Volvo S40 Super Touring
Via Cyan Racing

The brand's origins can be traced back to the Flash Engineering team, a small outfit formed in 1996 to compete in the Swedish Touring Car Championship. The company changed hands several times in its early years, eventually being rebranded Polestar Racing and starting to modify its own Volvo race cars.

Volvo S60 S2000
Via Cyan Racing

Two early examples were the S40 Super Touring and S60 S2000 shown above. A number of other touring car Volvos were also produced throughout the '00s until the brand began to pivot to making street-legal Volvos as well as just ones for the circuit.

9 It's Now Owned By Chinese Conglomerate Geely

Volvo S60 Polestar
Via Volvo

This is where the ownership of the brand starts to get a little complicated, as Polestar didn't officially become a subsidiary of Volvo until 2015, existing as an independent partner before that point. But, the two companies released several official Volvo cars together before that point, including the S60 Polestar concept shown here.

Volvo S60 Polestar
Via Volvo

In 2015, Volvo bought out Polestar altogether, which brought it under the umbrella of Geely—a Chinese manufacturing conglomerate that had purchased Volvo in 2010. With this new Chinese-Swedish ownership, plans began to be drawn up for the future of the brand.

8 The Racing Team Became Cyan Racing

Lynk & Co 03 Cyan Racing Concept
Via Lynk & Co

It was decided that the Polestar brand would become exclusive to road cars and that the racing team would be renamed Cyan Racing. Cyan switched from working primarily on Volvos to working with one of Geely's other brands, the Chinese-market Lynk & Co.

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Lynk & Co 03 Cyan Racing Concept
Via Lynk & Co

Their partnership is ongoing, and cars like the Lynk & Co 03 Cyan have proved that they're a force to be reckoned with on the touring car circuit. With the racing team renamed and working on new projects, Geely was free to reshape the Polestar brand into the marque it is today.

7 The Polestar Brand Became Its Own Carmaker

Polestar 2
Via Polestar

The first Polestar-branded car was introduced to the world in 2017, and it became clear from the start that the marque would retain its close links to Volvo. There are clear design similarities between the two companies, and some parts are also shared.

Polestar 2 in a Polestar space
Via Polestar

In fact, the Polestar 1 is based directly on the design of the Volvo Concept Coupe from 2013, which itself channels Volvo's classic cars like the P1800. The newest production Polestar, the 2, is similarly styled, with clear inspiration taken from the Volvo XC range of SUVs.

6 Polestar's Cars Are All-Electric

The front of the Polestar O2 Concept, roof down
Via Polestar

So, what makes Polestar different from Volvo? Well, the answer at the moment is that Polestars are 100% electric, and have been ever since they debuted. The brand aims to directly compete against the wave of EV startups like Lucid Air, Byton, and XPeng, plus bigger names like Tesla.

Blue 2026 Polestar 6 Roadster
via Polestar

Eventually, it's likely that Volvo's cars will become all-electric too, at which point Polestar will essentially become a luxury arm of the company, a bit like Lexus is to Toyota. Until then, Polestar's main selling point is its futuristic mode of propulsion, which ensures a quieter, smoother yet more powerful driving experience than a standard gasoline car could.

5 The Polestar 1 Is The Brand's First Production Car

Polestar 1
Via Polestar

The Polestar 1, as mentioned earlier, is based on a 2013 Volvo concept, and the similarities between the car and its parent company's designs are clear to see. In many ways, the 1 is the car that Volvo enthusiasts have wanted for decades.

Polestar 1
Via Polestar

It's a refined grand tourer that combines performance with the Swedish chic that Volvo has become known for in recent years. It's available for roughly $150,000, and only 150 examples are available each year. It's the halo car for Polestar, but also for the Volvo range overall.

4 Want A Crossover? Buy The Polestar 2

The front of the Polestar 2 on the move
Via Polestar

In comparison to the exclusiveness of the Polestar 1, the Polestar 2 is the polar opposite. It appeals directly to buyers of the biggest-growing segment in the US, crossovers, and it's competitively priced to boot.

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Rear 3/4 view of the Polestar 2
Via Polestar

Starting at a fraction under $48,000, the car is a convincing alternative to the Tesla Model 3 or Kia EV6. It comes with the same chic appeal as its pricier sibling, but with all the practicality of a liftback crossover. Its range is also competitive, with up to 270 miles available from a single charge.

3 Polestar Still Makes Performance Volvos

Front 3/4 view of the S60 Polestar Engineered (UK spec)
Via Volvo

As well as branching out with its own cars, Polestar also still develops performance versions of regular Volvos under the "Polestar Engineered" badge. One of their most recent products is the S60 Polestar Engineered, which originally debuted in 2018 as a 410 hp version of the S60 sedan.

White Volvo S60 Polestar
Via Volvo

Similarly beefed-up versions of the V60 and XC60 were also unveiled shortly after, each with a limited production run and a loftier price tag than a standard car. The S60 has received generally positive reviews from critics, with British newspaper The Sunday Times calling the car a "marvelous effort."

2 The Precept Previews The Upcoming New Models

Polestar Precept
Via Polestar

The Precept is a 2020 concept that supposedly previews the design language of upcoming Polestar models, in particular the Polestar 5. It comes with four doors but a sleeker, lower profile than the Polestar 2.

Polestar Precept
Via Polestar

Its design also reportedly focuses on sustainability, with materials like flax and recycled cork vinyl featuring throughout the car's interior. There are also a number of cutting-edge autonomous tech features like roof-mounted LIDAR, suggesting Polestar could take center stage as Geely's flagship brand for autonomous driving in the near future.

1 The Polestar 3, 4, And 5 Are On The Way

Polestar 5
Via Polestar

The Polestar 5 has been confirmed for 2024 as a super GT that aims to rival the likes of the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT. But, that's not the only new model on the way, as Polestar has plans to announce two more brand-new models within the next couple of years.

Polestar 5
Via Polestar

It's rumored that those models will be the 3 and the 4, completing the numerical lineup. The 3 is slated to be an SUV, and the 4 a crossover aimed at taking on the Porsche Macan. These are bold claims from a company that's still a fairly small player in the automotive world, but if Polestar's past transformations are anything to go by, it may well become a much bigger name in the near future.