Interview - Peter Horbury

Volvo design Vice President, Peter Horbury
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07 February 2010

By Tim Pollard

CAR UK recently spent some time one-to-one with Peter Horbury, Volvo's new vice president of design. Horbury, who pioneered Volvo's modern look in his previous stint as design boss from 1991 to 2002 spent five and a half years in charge of Ford's North American design studio. But in May 2009, Volvo CEO Stephen Odell asked Horbury to return to the top job in Gothenburg. Here he discusses car design in general, the ongoing sale of Volvo to China's Geely and his plans for future Volvo cars.

CAR: How is it to be back at Volvo?

Peter Horbury: 'It's fantastic. I started back at Volvo in May [2009] and moved back to Sweden in June [2009]. Gothenburg is a great city: half a million people, more Michelin-starred restaurants than you'd have thought and yet we're no distance at all from mountains and the middle of nowhere. I love it here. It's more cosmopolitan than when I last worked here. When I walked back in to the studio, my design team said, "That was a long lunch break!"'

What is your mission statement for Volvo design second time round?

'My job is to take bigger steps this time. In the 1990s we had to change people's perception of Volvo because some thought we built just boxy, safe, tank-like cars. So a lot changed in the 1990s. But I'd say you'll see as much change again in this new decade as you did then. We will still be about Swedish design, make no mistake. The last thing we should do is copy German or French design.

'Volvo tends to keep people in mind when we design cars – inside and out. This is important. Look at the shift in American values since president Obama took over. We are well placed to fit in with people's shifting values: the increasing importance of safety, environmental issues and design in general. That's Volvo through and through.'

Will all future Volvos sport a front end like on the new S60?

'Not necessarily. There might not be room on smaller Volvos for the secondary lighting bars you see on the S60. But when I came back from Ford, one of the things I was most pleased to see was how the Volvo grille had grown. In the US, you see a big smile and firm handshake when you meet people. It'll be the same with cars. The size of grille will matter more and more. I was really pleased with what they had done with the C30 and C70 facelifts in my absence. Volvos now have a bolder face with prouder badges and bigger grilles. This is a good thing.'

Click next below to read more of CAR UK's interview with Peter Horbury: his views on Volvo concept cars and why Volvos have been guilty in the past of looking too similar

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