Volvo Cars announces the appointment of Thomas Ingenlath as Chief Design Officer, effective 1 February 2026. Meanwhile, Volvo also reported its December sales and 2025 results.
“The appointment of Thomas Ingenlath marks the return of one of the most influential designers in the company’s recent history and reinforces Volvo Cars’ leadership in design,” Volvo proudly states. Thomas Ingenlath will join the Executive Management Team and lead Volvo Cars’ global design organisation across the product portfolio.
“I am delighted to be returning to Volvo Cars. Design is fundamental to what Volvo stands for. I look forward to working closely with the teams across the company, developing cars that are distinct, relevant, and true to the Volvo brand,” says Thomas Ingenlath.
To Polestar and back
Thomas Ingenlath previously served as Senior Vice President Design at Volvo Cars, where he played a central role in shaping the company’s contemporary Scandinavian design identity and establishing design as a defining element of the brand.
“More recently, as CEO of Polestar, he led the creation of the design-led, electrified brand from its early stages, translating progressive ideas into production vehicles in a highly competitive market,” says Volvo. That’s PR-talk for saying that things didn’t go exactly as expected and Ingenlath’s Geely bosses (the holding above Polestar, Volvo and numerous Chinese brands) weren’t convinced anymore that Ingenlath was as good as general manager than he was as a designer.
Meanwhile, a lot of things changed at its old company, Volvo cars, and an old friend of Ingenlath, Håkan Samuelsson, returned at the helm of the ‘Swedish’ company to steer it out of too turbulent waters. Samuelsson has always applauded Ingenlath’s design expertise and he knows that Volvo needs, among many other things, that Scandinavian design feeling to stand out of the crowd. And it may sound a little odd, but German designer Thomas Ingenlath clearly has the feeling.
“Design is one of Volvo Cars’ greatest strengths and will continue to differentiate us in shaping the future of premium, electric mobility,” comments Håkan Samuelsson, CEO of Volvo Cars. “Thomas Ingenlath will strengthen our design leadership with his proven experience and vision, ensuring we continue to design cars that reflect our values and resonate with customers around the world.”
Nicholas Gronenthal, who has served as Interim Head of Global Design at Volvo, is thanked by the Volvo Cars top management “for his leadership and contribution during this period,” and is now send to the United States of America for his new appointment as Head of Design Americas.
Positive note
Meanwhile, Volvo sees light at the end of the tunnel regarding sales volumes and profitability. Volvo Cars reported global sales of 75,049 cars in December, up 2% compared to the same period last year. For the full year 2025, Volvo Cars’ global sales stood at 710,042 cars, down by 7%. China, followed by the U.S., UK, Germany and Sweden were the five largest markets in 2025.
“We are pleased to end the year on a positive note with growth across key regions thanks to increased sales of our fully electric and plug-in hybrid offerings,” said Erik Severinson, Chief Commercial Officer. “Despite a challenging market that continues to be under pressure on multiple fronts, we are encouraged to see increased deliveries of our fully electric products, notably the EX90 and EX30.”
“Furthermore, growing sales of the new XC70 long range plug-in hybrid underscores the car’s strength in the rapidly growing electrified segment in China. Overall, 2025 was a challenging year for Volvo Cars and the broader industry alike, but we have taken necessary measures to increase our share in the fast-growing BEV and PHEV segments, including the introduction of the game-changing EX60, to be revealed on January 21,” he also announced.
Stopping the bleeding
In Europe, sales reached 33,406 cars in December, a marginal decline compared to the same period last year. However, sales of fully electric cars increased by 33% year-over-year, while overall sales of electrified models increased by 2%. The electrified models accounted for 65%of all cars sold in Europe during the last month of 2025. For the full year 2025, overall sales dropped by 10% in Europe to 332,667 cars.
Sales in the U.S. increased by 1% in December, totalling 14,193 cars. Sales of electrified models decreased by 48% compared to the same period last year, mostly due to the adverse impact from the removal of subsidies on fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars. In 2025, overall sales stood at 121,607 cars, a decline of 3% YOY.
Volvo Cars’ sales in China reached 16,103 cars last month, up 1% compared to December 2024. Sales of electrified models stood at 5,690 cars, an increase of 128% while sales of plug-in hybrids grew 213%. In 2025, Volvo Cars’ total sales in China stood at 149,549 cars, down by 4%.
In 2025, the XC60 stayed the top-selling model with sales of 230,655 cars (2024: 230,853), followed by the XC40/EX40, with total sales of 166,920 cars (2024: 173,890) and the XC90 at 103,217 cars (2024: 108,621).
