Polestar Ban Bad Sign for Oaji?
The recent announcement that Polestar will be banned from selling 2027 model year cars is an ominous sign for Waymo's Ojai platform in the US. It shows the administration's willingness to deny Geely linked platforms, even when the car is assembled in the U.S. A China built Zeeker is much less likely to get approval merely because Waymo replaces the tech stack.
If they don't get 2027 approval, it hardly makes sense to import them, pay 102.5% tariffs, transport them inland to AZ, retro-fit them using expensive US labor, transport them back to the port and then export them.
Unfortunately the Bureau of Industry and Security doesn't publish its approvals so it's hard to know if Waymo has already received a 2027 approval or not. Absent Waymo telling us, I would look for an announcement that they are setting up a retrofitting factory outside AZ as a clue that things are not going their way.
What does everyone think? Does this development have no reflection on Waymo's chances of keeping the Oaji platform or does it show it will be a major uphill struggle to do so?