Exclusive: T. Jon Mayer leaves Volvo

After more than a decade at Volvo Cars, head of exterior design T. Jon Mayer is leaving the company.

There is no official release yet, but a spokesperson confirmed that he would be pursuing new opportunities elsewhere. “We would of course like to express our gratitude for his dedicated 12 years of service to the company, contributing to its outstanding design,” they told Car Design News.

For now, Nick Gronenthal – who joined in 2022 – will serve as acting head of exterior design alongside his current role as head of automotive design, while a replacement is found for Mayer; the recruitment process is ongoing.

Mayer took the reins of Volvo’s exterior design work when Max Missoni left to take the top design job at Polestar back in May 2021, and has been a prominent figure at Volvo since joining in 2011 from Ford. He has worked on numerous models, including the S60, V60 and Concept Coupe (which inspired the Polestar 1).

A graduate of ArtCenter College of Design, Mayer most recently worked on the EX30 and was on stage with his colleagues at the 2023 People Awards to collect the trophy for Best Lighting.

There appears to be a slight shuffling of the deck at Volvo, at least within the senior ranks. In February 2023, ex-Arrival designer Jeremy Offer was brought in as design director to replace Robin Page, who returned to Bentley a few months later. Now, we will have to see where Mayer lands next and who is brought in as his successor.