Thomas is sitting at his desk in Volvo Cars’ Gothenburg headquarters. Like his designs, his office is stylish, modern and uncluttered. The design team works within walking distance of everyone else that creates and develops Volvo cars, unlike many other manufacturers. Close collaboration lies at the heart of an exciting new generation of Volvo models.

It was important that the S90 visually reflects its Scandinavian surroundings, says Thomas: “We wanted to communicate what is so special about living here. About the natural beauty of simple details put together. It’s an incredible privilege to have the quality and the materials to allow us to achieve it.”

Volvo Cars’ definition of luxury is about more than just exclusive materials, says Thomas: “Some things that we take for granted at Volvo Cars are actually luxury elements. Our focus on safety is a luxury thing to do – we put in a lot of effort, research and money to get it right.” 

“Car design today isn’t just about delivering beautiful shapes,” says Thomas. “You need to have a holistic view. You have to work with colleagues in the electronics department, communications, everywhere. Otherwise the product experience will be a very limited one.”

A further example of the innovative treatment of authentic materials is the way that leather has been used, explains Tony. “We produced unique tooling to create the leather panels for the cars. It gives the freedom to have seams and stitching wherever we want, allowing us to design the interiors to suit that. And we strove to get the leather-clad remote control key, which gets the same leather trim as you do for the seats and interior. That is new in the automotive industry.” 

The leather, wood, matt carbon fibre and colour-coordinated keys not only look good, they are a joy to touch. They are a premium expression of true Scandinavian craftsmanship.