Polestar originated in the 1990s as Flash/Polestar Racing in Sweden before fellow Swedish carmaker Volvo acquired it in 2015. Originally, the company was modifying Volvos for racing purposes. By 2009 Polestar had become an official modification partner building high-end, performance Volvos. Volvo itself was purchased during the Great Financial Crisis by Geely Automotive, a major vehicle manufacturer in China. This makes Polestar an automatic multinational brand despite only building 30,000 vehicles in 2021.