Who's Where: Lars Falk appointed Vice President Product Design for Volvo Cars China

Swedish designer Lars Falk has been appointed Vice President Product Design for Volvo Cars China. In his new role, Falk will lead and develop an emerging design organization which will cover both production design and advanced/strategic activities for the Volvo brand.

"I am privileged to set up a small yet efficient design organization which will cover both production design and advanced/strategic activities for the Volvo Cars brand," Falk told Car Design News.

"The ‘Volvo-case' is especially interesting as we are the first and only luxury/premium OEM to have a Chinese owner. We see China as the second home market for our product range."

Falk was promoted to his new role following his appointment to Interior Design Manager for Volvo's Large Size Vehicle Cluster Cars in May 2010, a role he moved into after his previous position as Chief Designer Interior Design Strategies at the Swedish automaker. During his time in Sweden, Falk worked on both production and concept car programs, the most notable being the S60 concept created under the direction of Steve Mattin.

Having studied transportation design at both Umea University in Sweden and the College of Creative Studies in the US. Falk gained a masters degree in Fine Arts at Högskolan för Design och Konsthantverk (HDK) in Gothenburg, Sweden, before beginning his design career in the interior design studio of Saab Automobile.

Three years later he took on an overseas assignment at then parent company GM's Design Center in Warren, Michigan, working as lead designer in both the interior and exterior design departments. He returned to Saab in 2003 as chief designer for interiors and joined Volvo in 2004 as interior studio chief designer.

Besides his role as lead interior designer on the S60 concept, Falk has also been responsible for the interior design of the 2003 Saab 93 Sports Hatch and the 2001 Saab 93-X concepts, for which he was principal interior designer. His production cars roster includes the interior designs of the 2005 Cadillac BLS and 2005 Saab 93 Sport Combi and the interior and exterior design of the 2004 Saab 97-X.

Over the course of his career, Falk has been nurturing the development of up-and-coming designers, teaching visual communication at both Konstfack in Stockholm and the Institute of Design in Umeå. He has also worked as a teacher and lecturer at Gothenburg University and Ingenjörshögskolan Jönköping as well as the Sason School of Design, where he taught a transportation and strategic design course.

By Eric Gallina