Volvo Cars has done some reshuffling at the top of its design department. The Swedish brand’s previous exterior design head Maximilian Missoni will now be heading up the design department of Volvo’s all-electric brand Polestar, while T. Jon Mayer is stepping up to the role of Head of Exterior Design at Volvo.
T. Jon Mayer is no stranger to Volvo’s current design idiom, having served as the lead exterior designer for the Volvo S60 and V60 models, as well as the Concept XC Coupe and Concept Estate design studies. According to Volvo, he has been “instrumental” in the development of the Swedish brand’s design language over the last decade.
“I am extremely excited for the future of exterior design at Volvo Cars,” said T. Jon Mayer. “We have one of the most talented teams of exterior designers in the world, and I will rely heavily on them to create a new vision for our electrified future. Electrification presents plenty of challenges for exterior design, but also an open world of opportunities. I look forward to setting the exterior design direction for the road ahead.”
On that note, Volvo is planning to become a fully electric car company by 2030, and en route to that the company intends for half of all the cars it sells to be battery-only by 2025.
Back in March, Volvo Chief Executive Håkan Samuelsson said he was “totally convinced” that in the future there won’t be any buyers who want to stick with a petrol or diesel engine. “We are convinced that an electric car is more attractive for customers,” he added.
In addition to launching a new range of battery powered cars in the coming years, Volvo Cars will also be moving towards an online-only sales model, in which its traditional dealerships will be tasked only with servicing and assisting clients who need help with the online purchase process.