Since 2012, Thomas Ingelath has been the top responsible for the design of Volvo, and after five years, he is back in his former role at the Nordic manufacturer, where he defined the look of models that are so pivotal for the brand such as the XC90, the V90, and the XC40. Succeeding Nick Gronenthal (who has been the interim head of the department since the departure, by his own initiative, of Jeremy Offer in July 2025), this time, it will be the Chief Designer Officer (CDO) of the Gothenburg house (Senior Vice President of Design from 2012-2017), who states that his (re)appointment “marks the return of one of the most influential designers in the company’s recent history and reinforces Volvo Cars’ leadership in design.” To which the 62-year-old German designer replied: “I am very happy to return to Volvo Cars. Design is fundamental to what Volvo represents. I look forward to working closely with teams across the company, developing cars that are distinctive, relevant, and true to the Volvo brand.” Håkan Samuelsson, CEO of the Swedish manufacturer, emphasizes that “design is one of the greatest strengths of Volvo Cars, and it will continue to differentiate us in defining the future of premium electric mobility. Thomas Ingenlath will reinforce our leadership in design, with his proven experience and vision, ensuring that we continue to design cars that reflect our values and resonate with customers around the world.”
Curiously, or perhaps not…, Thomas Ingelath returns to Volvo after Håkan Samuelsson has resumed, since 2025, the same role he held (until 2022) during the first tenure of the German designer at the company. And taking into account, on one hand, that a good part of the models in Volvo’s current offering were originally created under his supervision in terms of style, and, on the other hand, that all of them have recently been renewed or updated, in addition to the fact that the best-selling model, the XC60, will soon see its 100% electric counterpart, the EX60 (which will be officially presented later this month), it is most likely that at the beginning of this second term at the helm of the brand’s design, Thomas Ingelath is more focused on what will be the respective medium and long-term future in this area, starting already to work on defining his next product range.
Before joining Volvo for the first time, Thomas Ingelath held several prominent roles in design at the VW Group, notably at Skoda, where he was responsible for the styling of models such as the original Superb, the second-generation Fabia, the Roadster minivan, and the Yeti (when SUVs did not yet have the current dominance in the market). In 2017, after defining the lines of the Volvo Concept Coupé and Volvo Concept 40.2 prototypes, which resulted in the production models Polestar 1 and Polestar 2, he took on the role of CEO of the other Nordic brand owned by the “giant” Chinese company Geely, when it became an independent entity, continuing to have a significant influence on its design strategy. It was during his tenure that the manufacturer expanded its offering with the introduction of the Polestar 3 and Polestar 4, and strengthened its commercial presence globally by launching a retail network in 27 markets. After resigning from Polestar in August 2024, effective in October of that same year, he was appointed design advisor to the Geely Group until his current appointment as CDO of Volvo.
