Zellmer most recently came from his position as CEO of Skoda.
"Klaus Zellmer combines deep automotive industry expertise with broad international leadership experience," said Eric Li, Chairman of Volvo Cars, in a comment.
“I am very pleased to be joining Volvo Cars at such an important time in the company’s development,” says Klaus Zellmer. “Few car brands have built such a strong and enduring reputation for safety and consistently applied this core value across the entire mobility sector.”
Zellmer is 59 years old and has previously been a member of the Group Management Board of Volkswagen Passenger Cars and has also held several senior positions at Porsche.
Current CEO Håkan Samuelsson recently announced that he will leave when his contract expires this spring.
"I have expected to stay until the contract expires in April," Samuelsson told TT a few days ago.
Håkan Samuelsson has led Volvo for two periods; first from 2012–2022 and then a second time since April 2025.
This summer, Volvo Cars reported unexpectedly low second-quarter results. Revenue fell to SEK 77.7 billion from SEK 93.5 billion a year earlier, and the stock has fallen more than 45 percent so far in 2026.
Samuelsson has blamed the negative development on external factors in the Chinese market.
We have a China market that has drastically collapsed. Down 30 percent. And then it's difficult to raise the money, Samuelsson told TT in July.
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