Peter Horbury

Widely noted for returning Volvo to prominence in the design world — Horbury led the design of more than fifty cars over the course of his fifty year career, including the Volvo C70, V70, V50 and XC90, Ford Flex, Chrysler Horizon, Lynk & Co 01 and LEVC TX, Lotus Eletre — as well as the Ford Interceptor and Lincoln MKR concepts.

In 2020, Horbury told Car Design News, that his father had "let me into the secret of drawing in simple perspective when I was extremely young.

I’d take the latest Ford Anglia, Triumph TR3 or whatever was current in the late 50s, pick out features that were characteristic of those models and draw future versions.

[7][5] Following a memorial service in Gothenburg, Sweden, a commemoration at the University of Warwick was attended by friends and colleagues from across Europe and China.

[citation needed] Immediately prior to his longer second 'remarkable'[11] stint at Volvo, Horbury had worked in the United Kingdom for MGA Developments Ltd.

[12][13] This new look was characterised by distinctive shoulder lines that ran the length of the car, more curved surfaces, rounded noses, and softer, less utilitarian interiors.

He contributed to many designs including the Mitsubishi Carisma related 1995 S40 and V40, the sporty 1997 Volvo C70, which was engineered in collaboration with TWR, closely followed by the 1998 S80.

In 2002, after having been offered a position with General Motors,[15] Horbury joined Ford as head of its Premier Automotive Group design studios which included Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin, and Volvo.

Mays explained the decision: Horbury ran a staff of 800 including Patrick Schiavone and Moray Callum and was given the task of renewing the design language of all of Ford America's brands in the wake of sliding sales.

[12] In May 2009, Horbury returned to Volvo as Vice President, Design,[17] replacing Steve Mattin who left the company at the end of March 2009.