Setting the style

From the Gallic chic of Renault to the Germanic efficiency of Volkswagen, the notion of the car as a national icon isfrequently invoked by automotive marketing people.

But in an industry where geographical heritage is perhaps given more prominence than that afforded any other engineered commodity, the man behind the styling of two other brands readily associated with their birthplaces — Mercedes and now Volvo — just happens to be English.

Steve Mattin, Volvo’s new 40-year old design director, joined the company earlier this year from Mercedes where he was responsible for the design of a range of models including the outgoing version of the hugely successful S-Class, the new M-Class, and the R-Class, which will be launched in the UK early next year. Born in Bedford, Mattin is a graduate of Coventry University’s highly regarded transport design department.

The unusual nature of his current circumstances, with products designed for his old employer yet to hit the road in some countries, brings the challenges of his new role into stark focus; having spent 17 years with one car company he must quickly get used to designing for a very different brand.