Skip advert
Advertisement
Opinion

‘Volvo’s success in the premium league is deeply impressive’

Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson deserves his 2018 World Car Person of the Year title, says Mike Rutherford

Me and my big mouth. A year or three ago at a World Car of the Year (WCOTY) board meeting in New York, I piped up and argued that the best cars on the planet are often (too often?) rewarded, while the top car people rarely win trophies for themselves, their personal offices, studios, garages etc.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Furthermore, I told my fellow WCOTY directors that we can, must and will hand an annual World Car Person of the Year gong to the top man or woman in what can loosely be described as the global automotive business. Think car designer, corporate boss, inventor, vehicle safety guru, tech head, racing driver – you name it. Long story short, the idea got the formal go-ahead, and a list of highly impressive nominees was drawn up for the 2018 World Car Person of the Year award.

World Car of the Year 2018: finalists announced

In the first round I nominated Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer because of the exceptional things he’s doing with his cars, finances, image, sporting activities, and automotive plus non-automotive designs and products. He’s one of the best and most active flag-flyers for UK plc, too. And the icing on the cake is that he’s transforming Wales into a car-producing nation thanks to Aston’s new factory there.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Trouble was, my fellow World Car Person of the Year judges/jurors in Asia, North America and mainland Europe couldn’t quite bring themselves to give the final nod to Palmer, and voted for the ice man – Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson (my second choice).

Advertisement - Article continues below

I know this because I presented HS with his heavy metal WCPOTY trophy at last week’s Geneva show. It would’ve been nice to hand the gong to Dr Palmer, but the mean, green, lean Swede just did enough to edge out the plucky Brit.

It’s Samuelsson’s success in cementing Volvo’s place in the near-impossible-to-impregnate premium league that deeply impresses. That and his ability to reinvigorate Volvo’s public image and maintain the company’s legendary status as a designer and producer of some of the safest vehicles on the planet.

There’s also his “electrification” programme, and the little matter of the ice man being great at earning a shilling for his now-profitable company. And he brilliantly bridges the sometimes awkward gap between Volvo in Sweden and its controlling Geely godfathers and paymasters in China. Not easy, that.

Personally, Samuelsson also impresses me because he doesn’t often wear a tie – a man after my own heart! Verdict: of the scores of millions of people working in and around Planet Car, Hakan Samuelsson occupies the No 1 spot in 2018. Aston Martin’s Dr Andy Palmer merely has to settle for the unofficial title of second best car bloke on the planet – for now, at least. Roll on 2019, I say.

Now read about Land Rover doing ‘the unthinkable’ in the World Car of the Year final

Skip advert
Advertisement
Chief columnist

Mike was one of the founding fathers of Auto Express in 1988. He's been motoring editor on four tabloid newspapers - London Evening News, The Sun, News of the World & Daily Mirror. He was also a weekly columnist on the Daily Telegraph, The Independent and The Sunday Times. 

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Best new cars coming in 2024
Best new cars coming in 2024 - header image
Best cars & vans

Best new cars coming in 2024

There are some big new models from the likes of BMW, Citroen, Dacia, Ford, MINI, Skoda and more on the way in 2024
12 Mar 2024
New Volvo P1800 Cyan GT is the ultimate Swedish restomod
Volvo P1800 Cyan GT - front
News

New Volvo P1800 Cyan GT is the ultimate Swedish restomod

Cyan Racing has revealed the latest version of its iconic P1800, based on the Volvo cult classic
15 Feb 2024
Volvo P1800 (Mk1, 1961-1963) icon review: not fast, but just look at it
Volvo P1800 - front tracking
Road tests

Volvo P1800 (Mk1, 1961-1963) icon review: not fast, but just look at it

Volvo’s second take at a sports car was a real hit
13 Feb 2024
It’s not all EV at Volvo: XC90, XC60, S90 and other hybrids in line for updates
Volvo badge
News

It’s not all EV at Volvo: XC90, XC60, S90 and other hybrids in line for updates

Volvo is going big on electric cars but it will not neglect its existing range of ICE hybrid models in the coming years with a major updating programm…
1 Feb 2024

Most Popular

Road tax set to rise in April: here’s how much more you’ll pay
Road tax documentation
News

Road tax set to rise in April: here’s how much more you’ll pay

Drivers with newer cars will now pay £10 more per year, although the biggest gas guzzlers fare even worse
28 Mar 2024
Posh new trim level for Dacia Sandero while the Sandero Stepway gets more power
Dacia Sandero - front
News

Posh new trim level for Dacia Sandero while the Sandero Stepway gets more power

Both the Sandero and Sandero Stepway ranges have been tweaked, gaining more safety features to meet the latest regulations
26 Mar 2024
Car Deal of the Day: updated Skoda Enyaq at 0% APR and a free home wallbox charger thrown in
Skoda Enyaq iV - front cornering
News

Car Deal of the Day: updated Skoda Enyaq at 0% APR and a free home wallbox charger thrown in

Skoda’s family-friendly EV with 348-mile range is our Car Deal of the Day for 26 March
26 Mar 2024