Polestar has started rolling out Google Gemini to its cars in the US, just as Volvo Cars begins the same AI assistant upgrade across its own Google built-in models.
The move shows how closely the two Swedish-rooted brands still sit within the wider Geely orbit, even after Volvo reduced its direct ownership in Polestar.
Polestar said Volvo Cars’ stake will remain at about 19.9% following its latest debt-to-equity move, while Volvo Cars is itself controlled by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding.
Gemini replaces the older Google Assistant experience with a more conversational system that can understand less rigid prompts, follow-up questions and combined requests.
The rollout begins with eligible Polestar cars in the US, provided they have Google built-in, an active internet connection and a Google account set to US English.
Polestar said more regions and languages will follow, although it has not given a firm timing. The update applies to current Polestar models except the Polestar 1.
Volvo’s press statement gives a wider view of where this is heading. Volvo said Gemini is being rolled out first to customers in the US before expanding to more markets, with cars dating back to 2020 among the first to get the new assistant.
Its eligible list includes models such as the XC40, XC60, XC90, S60, V60, S90, EX30, EX90, ES90 and the upcoming EX60.
Gemini can help plan routes, search for stops through Google Maps, summarise or draft messages, translate dictated replies and handle media requests in a more natural way.
Volvo also said Google selected it in 2025 as a lead development partner for new in-car features, giving the carmaker a role in shaping how systems such as Gemini behave in real driving use.
For eligible Polestar owners, they will see a prompt on the centre display to opt in or decline. Over time, Gemini will replace Google Assistant in Polestar vehicles.
For now, this is mainly a US-first update, but the broader Volvo-Polestar rollout suggests Gemini is quickly becoming a core part of the Geely-linked Swedish EV software stack.
