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Volvo teases next-generation design language and promises to bring back buttons

Swedish brand will overhaul its styling and plans to make its interiors more user-friendly

Volvo concept teaser

Volvo will reveal a concept car in 2027 that previews the styling of its next-generation models – and its chief designer has promised to bring back physical buttons inside.

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Having served as the first CEO of Polestar since 2017, Thomas Ingenlath returned to Volvo this year as its head of design, and his comeback project will include a significant styling overhaul of the brand’s model line-up over the coming years.

Volvo announced in its strategy update today (17 September) it plans to launch no less than 13 models globally by the end of 2030, with seven models prepped for Western markets, including the UK.

Ingenlath confirmed the brand would unveil a concept car next year (teased in the image above) that will preview an all-new design language, focusing on various key aspects, including the user-friendliness of Volvo cars’ interiors. At Polestar, Ingenlath had been responsible for bringing a minimalistic design inside, with touchscreens housing many of the functions that would traditionally have been operated using physical controls. It’s a similar story with Volvo’s newer models, such as the new EX60 (pictured below), which uses touchscreen controls even for adjusting the wing mirrors and steering wheel.

Eleanor Cooper

Updated: 17 September 2026

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Volvo EX60 front right dynamic

Volvo EX60

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Ingenlath stated it was an area the new styling approach would “heavily attack”, acknowledging that, “We have to listen to our customers and really recognise that the interaction in the cars today… frankly it’s not appreciated.

Volvo EX60 interior

“The over-emphasis of screens, and the interaction with the screens is something that customers and journalists heavily criticise, and we have to aim for a better harmony, a better balance between the interaction that we have with our digital device and the physical interaction.”

Comparing the brand’s approach with a Leica camera, Ingenlath said Volvo will not simply “introduce rows and rows of exchangeable buttons” but “will be much more embracing of what the physical interaction can do for you in a positive way as a customer”.

He highlighted the importance of the brand’s premium status, indicating each button would add to the sensory experience of being inside a Volvo. He suggested different functions will have different shape buttons and movements for a more “enjoyable” interaction.

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Another key aspect the brand will take into account with its new styling is how recognisable the cars are. Ingenlath hinted its future models will draw on Volvo’s history in an attempt to distinguish it from other “anonymous”-looking cars on the market from newer manufacturers.

He also indicated Volvo will take a more regionalised approach to its design, with the potential for Europe-focused models to take on “lower” body shapes, such as saloon or estate types, unlike in the US, where bigger SUVs are more popular.

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