Polestar can no longer sell new cars in the United States past the 2027 model year. The US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security refused the EV maker the clearance it needs to keep doing business in the country, citing the Connected Vehicle Rule. Geely owns a majority stake in the brand, and that Chinese ownership is the reason the rule bites.

Washington has spent months working to block cars built and exported from China, with the Trump administration casting the effort as protection for domestic manufacturing. Polestar just happens to be the latest brand swept up in it.

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The Connected Vehicle Rule, finalized under the Biden administration, bars cars with Chinese or Russian software and hardware in their connectivity systems from the US market on national-security grounds. The fear is data and remote access, a connected car built within Beijing’s reach feeding information home or tampered with from afar.

Software restrictions land first, for the 2027 model year, with the hardware side following in 2030. Automakers need an authorization to sell in America, and while Polestar didn’t get one, sister brand Volvo, also Geely-owned, secured a waiver in May. Lincoln and Buick will have to clear the same hurdle, since both sell Chinese-built models in the States, the Nautilus and Envision respectively.

The South Carolina Problem

Washington’s decision hits hardest on the Polestar 3, the only model the automaker builds here in the United States, assembled at its South Carolina factory since 2024. Those American-made examples don’t stay local either, since they’re shipped across to Europe as well. What happens to that operation now is up in the air.

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Existing stock is safe for now, with whatever 3 and 4 inventory remains in the States still up for sale. But with the brand effectively locked out of the country, the real question is whether anyone will want one, even with a promise to keep servicing those cars and looking after the people who already bought them.

Europe Was Always The Plan, Says Polestar

Polestar doesn’t appear to be contesting the decision either, and its own numbers might explain why. The U.S. was never where the money came from, with 94 percent of its retail sales in the first quarter of 2026 landing outside America. CEO Michael Lohscheller is pointing what’s left toward Europe and other growth markets. “The automotive industry is entering a new phase, based on regional dynamics,” he said in a statement.

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“Our strategy reflects that, with Europe being our largest growth engine and our plan to manufacture Polestar 7 in Europe,” Lohscheller continued. “Our record sales in 2025 and the first quarter of 2026 show that we are making strong progress, with several new market launches taking place in Europe this year. In addition, we will continue to invest in markets where we have opportunities to continue to grow, like Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Canada.”

Polestar has shed further light on the sexy, all-electric 6 roadster it unveiled back in 2022, but has still yet to launch. Following a recent report that the car has been delayed until at least 2029, the EV firm has revealed just how far development of the car has progressed.

Just like the Polestar 5, the 6 sits on the Polestar Performance Architecture (PPA). This common platform has made the car far easier to develop than if it was conceived from the ground-up, and according to the firm’s product communications boss Graeme Lambert, the key hardware is ready.

Read: Four Years Later, Polestar’s 6 Is Starting To Look A Lot Like Tesla’s Roadster

“It is so closely related to the Polestar 5,” he said. “The platform under Polestar 5’s architecture is essentially designed to be scalable… if you view the 6 as the two-door Polestar 5, essentially the componentry is already there.”

Edmunds quizzed Lambert as to whether or not the car was 95 percent complete, and he didn’t dispute the figure, but added he would “hesitate to say it is 100 percent.” It’s understood that among the areas that need to be finalized include the car’s folding hardtop and the rear seats.

Will It Ever Come To The US?

Positioned below the floor is the same 112 kWh battery pack as the Polestar 5, and the 6 also features the same electric motors and suspension components. Polestar began accepting $25,000 deposits for the special LA Concept version in 2022, and had initially planned to launch the car in 2026.

However, ongoing financial concerns have put the vehicle on the backburner. Polestar is now prioritizing the second-generation 2 and the upcoming Polestar 7 compact SUV. “The key for us is to deliver [the 7 and 2] correctly, drive the business forward, and then be in a position to do something else after,” said Lambert.

If and when the 6 does finally get the go-ahead for production, there’s no guarantee that it will be sold in the United States. Polestar currently builds the 5 sedan in China, and the related 6 roadster would likely be manufactured alongside it. This would open it up to 100 percent tariffs and could cripple demand for the model, which is what happened with the Chinese-made Lotus Eletre SUV.