The Board of Directors of Volvo Cars has appointed Klaus Zellmer as President and Chief Executive Officer. Klaus Zellmer will assume the position no later than 1 October 2027. Håkan Samuelsson will, together with the Board, ensure a seamless transition.
Klaus Zellmer is an experienced global automotive executive with more than 30 years in the industry, most recently Chairman of the Board of Management and CEO of Škoda Auto.
"Klaus Zellmer combines deep automotive expertise with broad international leadership experience and a strong record of guiding organisations through transformation and changing market conditions," says Eric Li, Chairman of Volvo Cars. "His experience from both the high-end premium segment and high-volume brands, is an excellent fit for Volvo Cars. The Board is confident that, under Klaus Zellmer's leadership, Volvo Cars will build on its strong foundations and enter its next chapter with a clear ambition to strengthen its position as a leading premium car company."?
"I am delighted to join Volvo Cars at such an important moment in the company's development," says Klaus Zellmer, incoming President and CEO. "Few automotive brands have built such a strong and lasting reputation for safety, consistently applying this core value across the mobility sector. I admire Volvo Cars' timeless, contemporary design language and the clarity of its brand identity. The company has a solid foundation and an experienced team, and I look forward to working with colleagues across Volvo Cars to build on these strengths. After almost 100 years, Volvo Cars' ability to reinvent itself time and again is both a remarkable achievement and an ongoing challenge. I look forward to contributing to the company's continued development and to shaping its next chapter together."
Håkan Samuelsson has led the company over two tenures: from 2012 to 2022, and again since April 2025, when he returned to develop the future strategic roadmap for the company in very challenging times for the automotive industry. He has been providing stability during a pivotal period for the company while preparing for a long-term successor.
Klaus Zellmer, born 1967, is an experienced global automotive executive with deep industrial, commercial and technological expertise and a strong track record of leading organisations through complex transformation and changing market conditions. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Management and CEO of Škoda Auto. Under his leadership, Škoda has become one of Europe's best-selling car brands and delivered record results in 2025, followed by further growth and record deliveries of electric vehicles in the first half of 2026. Previously, he was a Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, where he was responsible for Marketing, Sales and After Sales. Before joining Volkswagen Passenger Cars, he spent more than 20 years at Porsche, where he held several senior leadership positions, including CEO of Porsche Deutschland and CEO of Porsche North America. After graduating with a degree in Business Administration, Klaus Zellmer spent three years from 1994 working at the Institute for Automotive Economics at the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences.
This disclosure contains information that Volvo Car AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation (EU nr 596/2014). The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person, on 20-09-2026 12:46 CET.
For further information please contact:
Volvo Cars Media Relations
+46 31-59 65 25
media@volvocars.com
Volvo Cars Investor Relations
+46 31-793 94 00
investors@volvocars.com
About Volvo Car Group
Volvo Cars was founded in 1927. Today, it is one of the most well-known and respected car brands in the world with sales to customers in more than 100 countries. Volvo Cars is listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm exchange, where it is traded under the ticker "VOLCAR B".
"For life. To provide freedom to move in a personal, sustainable and safe way." This purpose is reflected in Volvo Cars' ambition to become a fully electric car maker and in its commitment to an ongoing reduction of its carbon footprint, with the ambition to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
In 2025, Volvo Cars sold over 710 thousand cars, with an electrified share of 46%.
Volvo Cars on average employed 42,600 full-time employees. Volvo Cars' head office, product development, marketing and administration functions are mainly located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo Cars' production plants are located in Gothenburg, Ghent (Belgium), South Carolina (US), Chengdu, Daqing and Taizhou (China). The company also has R&D and design centres in Gothenburg and Shanghai (China).
