Shayla
Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:21:34 +0000

Polestar Ditched Its China Factory — Now Every Car Ships From South Carolina

A Swedish-Chinese EV startup just went full American manufacturing. The tariffs finally won.

Polestar 3 production: 100% US. Chengdu plant: shut down. SC facility investment: $1.3 billion. Annual capacity: 150,000 vehicles.

Honestly, I’ve watched this exact chess game play out in slow motion since 2024. Chinese EV gets slapped with 100% tariffs, company quietly fires up a US production line, then six months later announces they’re “consolidating for efficiency.” It’s the corporate equivalent of “I’m not leaving because of the fire — I just really like that exit.”

🧩 Dumb Mode Dictionary (click for more details) 📖 The Backstory: From Volvo's Performance Arm to Tariff Refugee (click for more details) 📊 The Numbers That Actually Matter (click for more details) 🔍 Why South Carolina and Why Now (click for more details) 🗣️ What People Are Saying (click for more details) ⚙️ The Bigger Picture: Tariff-Driven Manufacturing Migration (click for more details)

Cool. Swedish-Chinese EVs are being built in South Carolina now… Now What the Hell Do We Do? ¯_(ツ)_/¯

💼 Hustle #1: Tariff Classification Consulting for Small EV Parts Suppliers (click for more details) 🔧 Hustle #2: EV Assembly Workforce Training Programs (click for more details) 📊 Hustle #3: Supply Chain Reshoring Analysis Reports (click for more details) 📱 Hustle #4: EV Plant Real Estate Intelligence (click for more details) 🛠️ Follow-Up Actions (click for more details)

Quick Hits

Want to… | Do this
Track tariff changes in real-time | Subscribe to the CBP CSMS (Customs and Border Protection messaging system) — it’s free
Understand EV production flows | Pull data from IEA Global EV Data Explorer — updated quarterly
Find supply chain consulting gigs | Search “tariff advisory” on Upwork and Toptal — filter for auto/EV clients
Learn EV assembly skills | Check out the SAE International EV certificate programs — employers actually recognize them
Monitor plant announcements | Follow @INSIDEEVs and @electikicar on X — they break manufacturing news before Bloomberg does

Tariffs didn’t kill the Chinese EV pipeline. They just rerouted it through Charleston and called it “American manufacturing.”

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