Volvo Cars turns to Skoda boss Klaus Zellmer as CEO

Volvo Cars is getting a new boss: The supervisory board of the Swedish car manufacturer has appointed Klaus Zellmer as President and CEO. The manager, who is currently still heading the VW brand Skoda, will take over the position by 1 October 2027 at the latest. Until then, the current CEO Hakan Samuelsson is to ensure an orderly transition together with the board.

With Zellmer, Volvo is gaining an industry expert with more than three decades of experience in the automotive industry. He is currently serving as CEO of the Czech Volkswagen Group subsidiary Skoda. Before that, he was, among other things, board member for sales at Volkswagen Passenger Cars and also held several management positions at Porsche, including as CEO of Porsche Germany and Porsche North America.

Experience from the volume and premium business

Volvo chairman and Geely founder Eric Li justified the decision with Zellmer's broad industry expertise and his experience in transformation processes. “Klaus Zellmer combines deep automotive know-how with extensive international leadership experience and a strong track record in steering companies through transformations and changing market conditions,” said Li.

His experience both in the premium segment and with high-volume brands is particularly valuable. That fits with the strategic orientation of Volvo Cars as a premium manufacturer.

These aren't the only leadership changes happening across Volvo - the carmaker has also appointed Magnus Nilsson as head of production at Ghent

Volvo is bringing Ghent plant manager Magnus Nilsson into the group management. As the new head of production, he is taking over a manufacturing network that could face some significant changes in the near future.

Zellmer sees a strong basis at Volvo

The designated Volvo chief described his move as an important career step and referred to the brand's long tradition. "I am very pleased to be coming to Volvo Cars at such an important moment in the company's development," Zellmer said.

He particularly emphasised the brand's reputation for safety: "Only a few automotive brands have built up such a strong and lasting reputation in the field of safety." At the same time, he praised the company's clear brand identity, design philosophy and team. After almost 100 years, Volvo has repeatedly proved that the brand can successfully reinvent itself. He wants to help shape this path in future.

Hakan Samuelsson had already led Volvo from 2012 to 2022 and had returned to the top of the company again in April 2025. His task included, among other things, leading the company through a market phase that was challenging for the industry and preparing the strategic direction for the coming years. With Zellmer, his long-term successor has now been determined.

Track record of success at Skoda

For Volvo, Zellmer's development at Skoda in particular is likely to have been an important factor. Under his leadership, the brand developed into one of Europe's highest-selling car brands. Skoda achieved record results in 2025 and continued to grow in the first half of 2026.

What is remarkable here is that within the Volkswagen Group, Skoda delivered growth against the general industry trend. In the first half of 2026, the Czechs increased their deliveries by 9.1 per cent to around 556,000 vehicles. At the same time, revenue climbed to around 16 billion euros. This made Skoda one of the most important growth drivers in the VW Group.

Most recently, the brand scored in particular with its pragmatic product approach, a strong position in the European market and the expansion of its electric portfolio. Under Zellmer's leadership, Skoda succeeded in consistently leveraging the Group synergies within the Volkswagen alliance while at the same time preserving an independent brand profile.