Satellite R&D facilities could be the future of specialised car development

[WARWICKSHIRE, UK] Making a car is typically expensive, slow and a massive undertaking, spread across multiple sites near the company’s headquarters or regional office. One Swedish automaker, however, has an unusual new approach. Electric vehicle (EV) brand Polestar is developing two of its newest cars in a satellite research and development (R&D) facility in the United Kingdom, far from its headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Owned by Chinese auto giant Geely through Volvo, Polestar is still a minnow in the EV space. In the first half of 2023, it delivered a record 27,900 cars; EV giant Tesla delivered “over 466,000” cars in Q2 alone.

From just one mass-production model – the 2020 Polestar 2 sedan – Polestar plans to roll out four more by 2025, including the two luxury models developed in its UK facility.  (* see amendment note below)