Tesla rival Polestar shuts UK R&D sites and lays off 130 staff

Core Insights - Polestar has shut down its two R&D sites in the UK and laid off 130 staff, shifting R&D efforts to its headquarters in Sweden [1][2] - The decision follows the completion of engineering work for the Polestar 5 model, indicating a strategic focus on centralizing operations [2] - Polestar is majority-owned by Chinese conglomerate Geely and has been focusing more on the European market due to challenges posed by US tariffs [3] Company Performance - Polestar sold a record 2,758 vehicles in the UK last month, but reported a significant net loss of $1.03 billion in Q2 2025 [3] - The company’s sales performance lags behind Tesla, which had nearly 8,000 new registrations in the UK during the same period [4] - In January 2024, Polestar announced plans to cut 450 jobs globally, representing about 15% of its workforce [4]