Interview: Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President, Research & Development, Volvo Car Group

The start of 2016 has been busy for Volvo Cars. The OEM launched its new S90 at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), which highlights its long-term commitment to the US market. The company’s President and Chief Executive Håkan Samuelsson said that the model was reflective of its growing presence in the US. He expects “strong sales momentum to continue in 2016, helped by the new S90.”

Volvo Cars is also gearing up to launch a car that will be the first to use its Compact Modular Architecture (CMA). It will reach the market in 2017. “The flexibility of CMA liberates Volvo’s engineers and designers, allowing them to devise and introduce a wide range of new and alluring features whilst at the same time improving drivability, offering world-class safety features and connected car technologies,” observed Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President, Research & Development at Volvo Car Group.

Speaking to Automotive World, Mertens described CMA in more detail, and looked ahead to new product launches.