Volvo Cars has appointed Klaus Zellmer as President and Chief Executive Officer, selecting an automotive industry veteran with more than three decades of experience across Škoda Auto, Volkswagen and Porsche to lead the company through its next phase of development.
Zellmer will assume the position no later than October 1, 2027. Current CEO Håkan Samuelsson will work with Volvo Cars’ Board of Directors to provide a seamless leadership transition.
Zellmer currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Management and CEO of Škoda Auto, where he has overseen a period of significant growth and increasing electric vehicle sales.
Under his leadership, Škoda became one of Europe’s best-selling automotive brands and delivered record results in 2025. The company followed that performance with additional growth and record electric vehicle deliveries during the first half of 2026.
That combination of experience in both high-volume automotive markets and premium brands was a major factor in Volvo Cars’ decision to appoint Zellmer.
Before joining Škoda, Zellmer served on the Board of Management of Volkswagen Passenger Cars with responsibility for Marketing, Sales and After Sales.
He previously spent more than 20 years at Porsche, holding several senior leadership positions across the premium automaker.
His roles included CEO of Porsche Deutschland and CEO of Porsche North America, giving Zellmer extensive experience across European and U.S. automotive markets as well as premium vehicle sales and brand management.
Zellmer’s background also spans industrial operations, technology, commercial strategy and organizational transformation, capabilities that Volvo Cars sees as increasingly important as the global automotive industry continues changing.
Automakers are simultaneously navigating electrification, software-defined vehicles, changing consumer expectations, new competitors and substantial capital requirements associated with developing the next generation of vehicles.
Volvo Cars has been working through that transition while maintaining its longstanding positioning around safety, Scandinavian design and premium vehicles.
Chairman Eric Li said Zellmer’s experience leading organizations through periods of transformation and changing market conditions makes him particularly well suited to Volvo Cars.
The board expects Zellmer to build on the company’s existing foundation while strengthening Volvo Cars’ position in the global premium automotive market.
His appointment also marks the next stage of a leadership transition that began when Samuelsson returned to Volvo Cars in April 2025.
Samuelsson previously served as CEO from 2012 through 2022 before returning for a second tenure during a particularly challenging period for the global automotive industry.
Since his return, Samuelsson has worked to provide stability while helping develop Volvo Cars’ future strategic roadmap and preparing the company for a long-term successor.
His two tenures have therefore covered some of the most consequential periods in Volvo Cars’ modern history, including the company’s expansion as a global premium automaker and its more recent shift toward electrification.
Zellmer will inherit a company with an established global brand and an increasingly electrified vehicle portfolio.
Volvo Cars has expanded its lineup with a growing range of fully electric vehicles while continuing to compete across SUVs, sedans, estates and hybrid models.
The company’s challenge will be maintaining the characteristics that have historically differentiated Volvo while adapting to an industry increasingly influenced by batteries, software, artificial intelligence, connectivity and digital consumer experiences.
Zellmer’s recent experience at Škoda could provide relevant lessons.
Škoda has balanced significant sales volume with the expansion of its electric vehicle offering, while operating within the broader Volkswagen Group technology and manufacturing ecosystem.
His earlier experience at Porsche adds another dimension, particularly as Volvo seeks to reinforce its position as a premium brand rather than compete solely on vehicle volume.
Zellmer, who was born in 1967, began his automotive career after earning a degree in Business Administration.
He spent three years beginning in 1994 at the Institute for Automotive Economics at the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences before beginning a career that would eventually span several of Europe’s largest automotive brands.
His appointment gives Volvo Cars a leader with experience across multiple areas of the industry, including sales, marketing, technology, premium vehicles, mass-market brands and international operations.
For Zellmer, the opportunity involves leading a company approaching its centennial while preserving a brand identity closely associated with safety and Scandinavian design.
Volvo Cars’ board sees the appointment as an opportunity to combine those established strengths with further transformation as the company competes in a rapidly evolving global automotive market.
KEY QUOTES:
“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.”
Eric Li, Chairman of Volvo Cars
“I am delighted to join Volvo Cars at such an important moment in the company’s development. Few automotive brands have built such a strong and lasting reputation for safety, consistently applying this core value across the mobility sector.”
“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.”
Klaus Zellmer, Incoming President and CEO of Volvo Cars
