Polestar has escalated its fight to re-enter the US market by demanding the Commerce Department publicly reconstruct its entire waiver decision from memory, in a live hearing where no notes, files, or electronic devices are permitted.
The demand came after two months of unanswered questions about why Polestar was banned while Volvo, which shares the same factory, hardware, and software, was approved. Polestar's US head of product, Peter Wexler, announced the new tactic in a letter to dealers, stating that the company will no longer accept written explanations.
«We have asked for the reasoning in writing, and we have received nothing but silence,» Wexler said. «So now we want the Under Secretary to stand before a panel of our engineers and recite, from memory, every data point, every meeting, and every internal memo that led to the denial. If he cannot, we will consider the ban void.»
The Commerce Department has reportedly agreed to the hearing, scheduling it for next month in a converted aircraft hangar in South Carolina, where the Polestar 3 and Volvo EX90 are built on the same line. Officials have been ordered to bring no notes, and the hearing will be broadcast live on a loop to all Polestar dealerships.
«We are confident that, under the pressure of public recitation, the department will either justify its decision or admit it cannot,» Wexler added. «Either way, we will have our answer, and the American people will see exactly how their government decides which cars are allowed on their roads.»
The hearing is expected to last three days, with breaks only for meals and sleep. Polestar has also requested that the Under Secretary recite the entire Federal Register from 2024 as a warm-up exercise.