Volvo Cars said it is bringing Thomas Ingenlath back as its chief designer on February 1, 2026, concluding a search for a new head of design that began months ago.
Nicholas Gronenthal, had been serving as interim head of global design ever since Jeremy Offer stepped down from the role in July 2025. Now, Ingenlath will take over the duties as Gronenthal takes on the head of design role for the company’s Americas unit.
“The appointment marks the return of one of the most influential designers in the company’s recent history and reinforces Volvo Cars’ leadership in design,” the automaker wrote in the Jan. 7 press release.
Ingenlath returns from his lead role in design working with Volvo’s parent company, Geely. As Chief Design Officer, he will also revisit his relationship with Håkan Samuelsson, who was Volvo's CEO during Ingenlath’s initial tenure as design boss before Samuelsson stepped down in 2022. The CEO later returned to Volvo Cars in 2025.
As chief design officer, Ingenlath will join the executive management team and lead Volvo Cars’ global design organization across the product portfolio, according to the press release.
“I am delighted to be returning to Volvo Cars,” said Ingenlath. “Design is fundamental to what Volvo stands for.”
He has an impressive resume in automotive design, having graduated from London’s Royal College of Art.
Ingenlath joined the Volkswagen Group in the 1990s and worked at VW’s Czech subsidiary, Skoda, where he defined the brand’s design identity and was responsible for the Fabia and Roomster small cars.
He also led the teams that designed the VW NILS concept car revealed at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show and the Concept Bluesport roadster unveiled at the Detroit auto show in 2009.
Ingenlath joined Volvo Cars from Volkswagen in 2012 and was quickly tasked with driving a new design language for the automaker starting with the Volvo Concept Coupe that debuted at the Frankfurt auto show in 2013.
Ultimately, he rose to become the brand’s senior vice president of design, shaping the company’s contemporary Scandinavian design identity.
Then, in 2017, Ingenlath became CEO of the new battery-electric brand Polestar responsible for the design of its early models and expanding the range to include Polestar 2, Polestar 3 and Polestar 4.
“Design is one of Volvo Cars’ greatest strengths and will continue to differentiate us in shaping the future of premium, electric mobility,” said Samuelsson in a company statement. “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.”
