Peter Horbury replaces Steve Mattin as Vice President of Design at Volvo Cars

Ford Motor Company announced key changes to both Volvo Cars and Ford's Americas design operations today. Effective May 1, Peter Horbury, currently Executive Director of Ford Americas Design, will return to Volvo as Vice President of Design, replacing Steve Mattin who, according to Volvo, "elected to leave the company". Insider sources tell us he was forced out.

Horbury is already well familiar with the design operations at Volvo Cars. From 1991 to 2002 he was the Swedish automaker's Design Director, leading design teams in Sweden, Spain and California. Horbury reshaped Volvo's design language starting with the Volvo ECC Concept introduced in 1992. The first production cars to reflect the new design language implemented by Horbury were the first-generation C70 and S80. The subsequent S40, V40, S60, V70, XC90, C30 incorporated and further evolved the design theme under his leadership. Horbury's new role will take him back to Gothenburg, Sweden.

"Peter has a deep knowledge of Volvo and understands how to use the power of design to define a brand," said J Mays, Ford's Group Vice President of design and Chief Creative Officer. "Peter was the creative force behind the new Lincoln design language and before that, some of the most successful Volvo designs. He is the right person to take Volvo design to new heights in the coming years."

Between his roles as Design Director at Volvo Cars and his current position, Horbury was Executive Director of Design for Ford's now defunct Premier Automotive Group (PAG) where he led the product design strategy for Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo.

After moving to the Americas in early 2004, Horbury developed a new design DNA for the Lincoln brand, initially expressed in the MKR concept and further evolved in the MKT and Lincoln C concept. He led the design team in applying the new design philosophy to most of the production Lincoln product range and also led the design teams that developed the Ford F250 Super Chief and Reflex concepts, the 2008 Ford Focus and Flex, the 2009 F-150, and the 2010 Mustang, Taurus and Fusion.

Horbury, now 59, received his master's degree in Vehicle Design from the Royal College of Art and has been involved in the design of more than 60 cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles over his 35-year career. He has more than two decades of expertise with luxury vehicles and has been ranked as one of the most renowned executives in the car industry.

"I'm extremely pleased to be back in Sweden and the great brand of Volvo," Horbury said. "Volvo has a very strong design identity and it will be a privilege to work with the team to develop the Scandinavian design language in future products, and contribute to the turn-around of the company."

By Eric Gallina