Polestar hit a first-half sales record in 2026, and the asterisk is right there in the table. The company delivered an estimated 30,423 cars in the first six months, a 0.4% gain over the same period last year. Strip out the U.S., where regulatory action under the Connected Vehicle Rule has effectively halted sales, and the underlying business grew 3.1% to 28,562 units.
That split tells most of the story. The second quarter came in at 17,296 total retail sales, down 4.0% from Q2 2025, with ex-U.S. off 3.9%. Polestar is now reporting U.S. and non-U.S. figures separately as a matter of policy, since once the current U.S. inventory runs out, the brand will leave the market.
The geographic bright spots are real, though. CEO Michael Lohscheller called out the UK, Germany, South Korea, and the Iberia region as markets showing strong growth. The retail network now stands at 235 sites, up 39% from last year, and continued expansion there is where Polestar is placing its near-term volume bet.
Polestar sold 44,851 cars in all of 2024, a 15% decline from 2023. Then 2025 reversed the slide: full-year retail sales reached approximately 60,119 cars, up 34% from 2024. The 30,423 figure for H1 2026 puts the brand roughly on pace to match or slightly exceed that 2025 recovery, assuming the second half holds.
Product cadence is what the company is counting on to extend the momentum. Polestar 4 SUV production has started, with first deliveries targeting Q4 2026. The Polestar 5, the brand’s flagship performance sedan, is further along: first customer deliveries are set to start in the coming months. A new Polestar 4 variant is also scheduled for introduction in Q4 2026. Beyond that, a Polestar 2 successor is planned for early 2027, and the Polestar 7 compact SUV is slated for 2028 with European production planned. The Polestar 6 roadster remains on the longer-term roadmap.
None of those launches are cheap, and the U.S. market was historically a meaningful part of Polestar’s volume and brand story. Operating without it while simultaneously funding multiple product launches is the financial tightrope the company is walking as it enters the second half of the year.
Record or not, 30,423 cars in six months looks comfortable only against a recent low point. Sustaining it without the U.S. depends on whether the Polestar 4 and 5 launches execute on schedule and whether the newer markets actually absorb the volume the brand is chasing.
Source: Polestar. Images courtesy of Polestar.
