Zakirin
The Board of Directors of Volvo Car AB has appointed Klaus Zellmer as the company’s incoming President and Chief Executive Officer, tapping the current Škoda Auto boss to lead the Swedish automaker through its next phase of electrification and global portfolio expansion.
- Klaus Zellmer, currently Chairman of the Board of Management and CEO of Škoda Auto, will formally assume leadership of Volvo Cars no later than 1 October 2027.
- Current CEO Håkan Samuelsson—who returned to lead Volvo Cars in April 2025 following his initial decade-long tenure from 2012 to 2022—will oversee the corporate transition alongside the board until Zellmer takes office.
- The leadership transition follows Volvo’s recently unveiled roadmap to launch 13 all-new vehicles by 2030, increase component sharing with parent Geely Holding to 30%, and double its global electrified vehicle market share.
The appointment marks a definitive succession strategy for the Geely-owned luxury marque as it navigates complex market dynamics across Europe, North America, and China. Zellmer brings more than three decades of automotive executive experience spanning high-volume and ultra-luxury segments within the Volkswagen Group, providing the operational background needed to balance Volvo’s premium brand equity with aggressive volume and platform scale.
| Executive & Corporate Parameter | Transition Details & Background |
| Incoming Executive | Klaus Zellmer |
| New Roles | President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Volvo Car AB |
| Effective Handover Date | No later than 1 October 2027 |
| Preceding / Interim CEO | Håkan Samuelsson (Tenures: 2012–2022; April 2025–Present) |
| Current Executive Role | Chairman of the Board of Management & CEO, Škoda Auto (since 2022) |
| Previous Senior Leadership | Board Member for Sales & Marketing, Volkswagen Passenger Cars |
| Porsche Executive Career | Over 20 years (ex-CEO Porsche Cars North America, ex-CEO Porsche Deutschland) |
| Parent Entity | Zhejiang Geely Holding Group |
| Board Governance | Eric Li (Li Shufu), Chairman of the Board of Directors |
| Key Strategic Targets | Roll out 13 all-new models by 2030; double electrified vehicle market share |
Executive Pedigree Across Premium and High-Volume Brands
Zellmer’s career spans more than 30 years in automotive sales, product planning, and corporate restructuring. Prior to taking the helm at Škoda Auto in 2022, he served on the Board of Management of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, overseeing global Sales, Marketing, and Aftersales during the initial rollout of the ID. electric vehicle family.
Before his board appointment at Volkswagen, Zellmer spent over two decades at Porsche AG in various senior capacities, notably serving as President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America from 2015 to 2020 and earlier as CEO of Porsche Deutschland. During his tenure at Porsche in North America, he expanded dealer profitability, diversified retail programmes, and oversaw the market introduction of the Taycan electric sports saloon. At Škoda, Zellmer spearheaded the brand’s new “Modern Solid” design language, strengthened operating margins in Europe, and led international expansion initiatives into Southeast Asia and India.
Strategic Roadmap: Platform Synergy and Model Offensive
The leadership announcement aligns with an accelerated corporate transformation outlined by Volvo Cars and parent group Geely. Key pillars of the medium-term roadmap include:
- Product Expansion: Launching 13 all-new models by the end of 2030, including six bespoke variants tailored specifically to meet consumer preferences in mainland China.
- Component Localisation and Synergies: Deepening technical cooperation with Geely Holding to increase shared componentry, electrical architectures, and platform hardware from the current 10% baseline to approximately 30%.
- Market Share Objectives: Restructuring global assembly lines and supply chains to double the brand’s worldwide electric vehicle (EV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) market share from its current level of approximately 1.7%.
Leadership Endorsements and Smooth Succession
Eric Li (Li Shufu), Chairman of the Board of Directors of Volvo Cars, emphasised that Zellmer’s cross-segment background fits the manufacturer’s global ambitions:
“Klaus Zellmer combines deep automotive expertise with broad international leadership experience and a strong record of guiding organisations through transformation and changing market conditions. 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.”
Reflecting on his upcoming transition, Klaus Zellmer noted the durability of Volvo’s core values:
“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. 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.”
Until Zellmer formally takes office, Håkan Samuelsson will continue in his role as CEO, working alongside executive leadership to finalize intermediate industrial targets and secure a structured handover.
