Klaus Zellmer will take over the post on October 1, 2027, with current CEO Håkan Samuelsson overseeing the transition until then, the company announced Sunday. The German businessman has almost three decades of expertise in the automotive industry.
Zellmer has led Škoda since 2022, making it one of Europe’s best-selling brands with record sales last year and projected electric vehicle deliveries in the first half of 2026. He previously served on Volkswagen’s passenger car management board and spent 20 years at Porsche, where he led operations in Germany and North America. Klaus Zellmer brings extensive automotive expertise, broad international leadership experience, and a track record of directing organisations through transformation and changing market conditions,” said Volvo chairman Eric Li in a statement. Zellmer acknowledged the size of his inheritance.
After nearly 100 years, Volvo Cars’ ability to reinvent itself time and again is both a remarkable achievement and a continuous challenge,” he said. Samuelsson returned as CEO for a second term in April 2025 to help a firm hit hard by American tariffs, since most of its US-bound vehicles are made in Europe. To do this, he implemented an 18 billion Swedish krona (€1.6 billion) cost and cash plan, eliminated 3,000 jobs, and abandoned Volvo’s commitment to go totally electric by 2030.
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