Bentley names former Volvo exec head of design

Bentley has named former Volvo styling head Robin Page its new director of design.

Page will succeed Tobias Sühlmann, who will leave the Volkswagen Group subsidiary to pursue other opportunities, Bentley said in a release.

Page, 51, will be responsible for defining Bentley’s design language as it transforms into an electric-only brand by 2030.

Under Page, Volvo began a similar transition, debuting the EX90 full-electric flagship SUV last November, which followed the electric-only C40 compact crossover and the battery-driven version of the XC40 compact SUV. The next model with Page’s fingerprints on it will be the EX30 small SUV that Volvo will debut June 7.

Volvo, however, announced in January that Jeremy Offer, 55, would become the brand’s new global head of design, succeeding Page, who would be demoted to the role of senior advisor. That meant he would report to Offer.

Offer joined Volvo from EV startup Arrival, where he served as senior vice president and chief design officer.

Those changes took affect May 1.

Prior to the transition, Volvo CEO Jim Rowan told Automotive News Europe that Offer, who has no experience at a traditional automaker, was picked because of his deep knowledge of industrial design.

“Quite frankly, we have so many people in our business who really understand automotive design, people with decades and decades of experience. What we want to bring in now is more of that industrial design,” he said.

Second stint at Bentley

For Page, who will start September 1 and report to Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark, this is his second stint at the British brand. He was Bentley’s head of interior design from 2001 and 2013.

His achievements during that time included the interior designs for the first-generation Continental GT and the Bentley Mulsanne.

“I am pleased to welcome Robin back to Bentley having worked with him during a truly formative period in the history of Bentley Motors, launching the sector-defining Continental GT,” Hallmark said in the release. “His previous experiences from innovative automotive design, combined with a strong understanding of the Bentley brand means he is perfectly positioned to enable us to achieve our future ambitions as the leader in sustainable luxury mobility.”

Page will be based at Bentley’s headquarters in Crewe, England, where he will lead a team of approximately 50 designers, with responsibility for the exterior, interior and color and trim design.

“Having worked for 17 years at Bentley, I have always held a strong connection to the brand and kept a close eye on its evolution,” Page said in the release. “To return and have the opportunity to help set the design language for the first Bentley BEVs, redefining the rules while keeping continuity to the past and present, is a challenge I am privileged to lead.”