A former top executive for Porsche in North America will take the global helm at Volvo Cars next year when the current CEO retires for the second time.
Klaus Zellmer will assume the role of president and CEO at Volvo Cars by Oct. 1, 2027, Volvo Cars said in a Sept. 20 press release. He will replace Håkan Samuelsson, who — along with the rest of the board of directors — will work with Zellmer “to ensure a seamless transition.”
Zellmer, who was named CEO of the Volkswagen Group subsidiary Škoda Auto in 2022, claims more than 30 years working in the auto industry
Born in 1967, Zellmer graduated with a degree in business administration and then spent three years from 1994 working at the Institute for Automotive Economics at the Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences in Germany.
He spent more than 20 years working at the Porsche brand, where he held several senior leadership positions, including CEO of Porsche Deutschland and CEO of Porsche North America.
After this period he became a member of the board of management of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, where he was responsible for marketing, sales and after sales before taking the lead role at Škoda.
Zellmer has led Škoda to record sales results in 2025, followed by further growth and record deliveries of electric vehicles in the first half of 2026.
“Klaus Zellmer combines deep automotive expertise with broad international leadership experience and a strong record of guiding organizations through transformation and changing market conditions,” said Eric Li, chairman of Volvo Cars in a statement. “His experience from both the high-end premium segment and high-volume brands, is an excellent fit for Volvo Cars.”
The news follows Samuelsson’s recent announcement of a product blitz of 13 new models, in a bid to double profit margins for the automaker.
Samuelsson has led the company over two tenures: from 2012 to 2022, and again since April 2025, when he returned to develop the “future strategic roadmap for the company in very challenging times for the automotive industry”, the company said in its statement.
