I don't envy the daunting job that lies ahead for Volvo head of design Thomas Ingenlath. The Swedish brand posted a loss of close to $90 million in the first half of 2013, and while they're back in the black thanks to cost-cutting measures and growth in China, they still have an uphill battle to find firm footing in the increasingly-crowded luxury segment.
I sat down with Ingenlath this week in Detroit to talk design and the future of Volvo. He recalled one woman from California interviewed during a design survey who told it like it is:
"'The light in Scandinavia is beautiful,' she said. 'The beautiful people, the food and flavors are so wonderful. And none of that comes through in your brand. None of it. It's absolutely vanilla.'"
How will Ingenlath shed the Volvo vanilla? Read the full story over on Road & Track.
Will design save Volvo from melting into vanilla oblivion?