Volvo Cars has found its next chief executive. The board has appointed Klaus Zellmer, currently chairman of the board of management and CEO of Škoda Auto, as president and CEO, and he will take up the role no later than 1 October 2027. Current CEO Håkan Samuelsson stays on until the handover and will work with the board to manage the transition.
Volvo Cars has named its next chief executive well ahead of the handover. The board of directors of the Gothenburg-based carmaker has appointed Klaus Zellmer as president and chief executive officer, a role he will assume no later than 1 October 2027. Until then, Håkan Samuelsson remains in charge and will, together with the board, ensure what the company calls a seamless transition.
A Škoda boss moves to the premium end
Zellmer, born in 1967, currently serves as chairman of the board of management and CEO of Škoda Auto. According to Volvo Cars, Škoda has become one of Europe’s best-selling car brands under his leadership, delivering record results in 2025 followed by further growth and record electric vehicle deliveries in the first half of 2026.
That mix of volume-brand and premium-brand experience is precisely what the board points to.
“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.”
Li added that the board is confident 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”.
More than 30 years in the industry
Zellmer’s career spans three decades in the car business. Before Škoda he was a member of the board of management of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, responsible for marketing, sales and after sales. Prior to that he spent more than 20 years at Porsche in several senior roles, including CEO of Porsche Deutschland and CEO of Porsche North America. After completing a degree in business administration, he worked for three years from 1994 at the Institute for Automotive Economics at the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences.
The incoming CEO struck a respectful note about the brand he is joining.
“I am delighted to join Volvo Cars at such an important moment in the company’s development,” says Zellmer. “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.”
Samuelsson bridged a difficult period
Samuelsson has led Volvo Cars across two separate tenures: from 2012 to 2022, and again since April 2025, when he returned to develop the company’s future strategic roadmap during what the company describes as very challenging times for the car industry. His second stint was framed from the outset as a stabilising period while a long-term successor was identified.
What it means
Volvo Cars is approaching its centenary — the company was founded in 1927 — and is doing so mid-transition. It sold more than 710,000 cars in 2025 with an electrified share of 46 per cent, employs around 42,600 people on average and builds cars in Sweden, Belgium, the United States and China. The long lead time on the appointment gives both the outgoing and incoming CEO room to hand over an electrification strategy and product plan that are still running.
The disclosure was made under the EU Market Abuse Regulation and submitted for publication on 20 September 2026. Zellmer takes up the post no later than 1 October 2027.
Source: news.cision.com