Payne: Chinese Polestar 4, U.S.-made Tesla Model Y go wheel-to-wheel

Posted by Talbot Payne on May 7, 2026

At 4,200 pounds, the 2026 Tesla Model Y is one of the most nimble SUVs in segment.

At 4,200 pounds, the 2026 Tesla Model Y is one of the most nimble SUVs in segment.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

The 2026 Polestar 4 is quick off the line but porky in the corners thanks to its 5,100-pound heft.

The 2026 Polestar 4 is quick off the line but porky in the corners thanks to its 5,100-pound heft.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Washington, D.C. — Who says Chinese cars aren’t sold in the United States?

Produced by Chinese auto giant Geely, the Polestar 4 SUV debuted this year into the U.S. market’s most competitive luxury segment: electric vehicles.

Its Swedish design is wrapped around Geely’s Sustainability Experience Architecture — a platform shared with other Geely Group vehicles like the Zeekr 001 (and the Waymo Ojai autonomous vehicle currently cruising the streets of Detroit, Phoenix, and San Francisco). The 4’s assembly was recently moved to South Korea from Chinato bypass U.S. tariffs.

In design, concept and performance, it is one of the most daring EVs on the market and is aimed squarely at the best-selling U.S. model made by the company that has defined daring: the Tesla Model Y.

I flogged 4 and Y far and wide across roads from Oakland County to Washington, D.C., to Virginia’s North Neck. Tesla vs. Polestar. U.S. vs. China.

Here’s how the king and the contender compare, and which comes out on top in which areas.

Read full article here.

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