Volvo Vehicles’ determination to choose an government to guide its design crew who has no expertise at a standard automaker may grow to be a brand new trade development.

“That is the primary however unlikely the final transfer the place an automaker shakes up its design by bringing in somebody who is not a longtime automobile design boss,” Sam Livingstone, who’s director of consultancy Automotive Design Analysis, advised Automotive Information Europe. “I consider that quite a lot of different manufacturers will likely be observing this transfer with quite a lot of curiosity and a good bit of apprehension.”

Incoming Volvo world styling boss Jeremy Supply has greater than 30 years’ expertise as a designer, however this will likely be his first top-level submit at a worldwide automaker.

The 55-year-old government, who will begin Could 1, involves Volvo from electrical van startup Arrival, the place he serves as senior vp and chief design officer. Previous to becoming a member of Arrival, Supply was head of business design and a part of the senior administration crew at world consulting agency EPAM, the place he helped deliver service and industrial design to their wider consulting follow.

‘Tip of the iceberg’

“I believe that is simply the tip of the iceberg in terms of a looming larger shake-up of automotive design due to the transfer to software-defined, autonomous and electrical vehicles,” Livingstone stated.

When requested concerning the determination, Volvo CEO Jim Rowan acknowledged that it was an out-of-the-box alternative.

“You might be completely proper. It is not like [we picked] a standard automotive designer with 20, 30 years’ expertise,” he advised Automotive Information Europe. “Fairly frankly, we now have so many individuals in our enterprise who actually perceive automotive design, folks with many years and many years of expertise. What we need to usher in now’s extra of that industrial design.”

Rowan stated Supply will usher in a contemporary perspective and cited his “plethora of Pink Dot awards for industrial design.” He stated one other one among Supply’s strengths is his skill to multitask.

“If you end up working for 4 or 5 completely different shoppers concurrently, you assume in a different way,” Rowan stated. “That’s what we try to deliver into the combination. So, we’ll mix his expertise with the expertise that we have already got within the firm and hopefully that may take Volvo to a brand new degree.”

Livingstone stated it is becoming that Rowan, a former Dyson and Blackberry government who’s operating his first automaker, has made such a daring transfer.

“He’s not an automotive man, so he is not afraid to herald folks like him who’ve completely different sorts of experiences in different industries,” he stated.

When requested concerning the potential draw back of the transfer Livingstone stated: “It’s a threat for Volvo to deliver somebody in from exterior of essentially the most uniquely subtle craft that’s automobile design — however there’s a complete crew of automobile designers at Volvo — arguably it might be larger threat to not achieve this.”

Overdue change

One firm insider stated Volvo’s pending change in design course is overdue.

“I believe it was necessary for Volvo to distance itself from Thomas Ingenlath, given he runs Polestar,” the supply stated.

Ingenlath began as Volvo design boss in 2012. When he was named Polestar’s first CEO in 2017 he retained general accountability for Volvo’s appear and feel as chief design officer.

On the identical time, interiors boss Robin Web page was put accountable for operating Volvo’s styling division as senior vp of design.

Ingenlath handed over full management of Volvo’s design to Web page in 2021.

The supply stated {that a} large query at Volvo was whether or not Web page would be capable of reset the model’s design course given his deep ties to Ingenlath.

One criticism of Volvo’s first car beneath Web page’s management, the EX90 electrical flagship SUV, is that it carries over quite a lot of Ingenlath’s styling cues.

Supply will be part of Volvo’s Group Administration Staff, changing Web page, 51, who will report back to Supply and function a senior advisor.

Who will crack the code?

The supply stated that the most important problem Volvo’s new Supply-led design crew faces is mapping out what’s subsequent for the model.

“The place will automobile design go when the lengthy hood is only a reminiscence and SUVs are broadly acknowledged for his or her aerodynamic deficits?” the supply stated. “Will or not it’s a longtime automotive designer or non-automotive designer who will first crack that code? It is 50-50 when you ask me.”

Added Livingstone: “Jeremy may have a tall hill to climb. There will likely be quite a lot of eyes on him.”