Volvo’s Global Head of Color, Material, Finish Design Rekha Meena on the EX60

Four poetically named color, material, and finish (CMF) themes—charcoal, cardamom, dawn, and rye—allude to the influence of Scandinavian nature on the design of Volvo’s new EX60. For a vehicle defined by future-forward technology, built upon the Swedish brand’s next-generation SPA3 platform, balance is drawn from natural materials—like weathered ash, rubus wood, and wool—alongside recycled textiles with equally placating textures.

Led by Rekha Meena, VP and Global Head of CMF at Volvo Cars, the EX60 cabin themes started with an understanding of the new all-electric platform and a clean sheet of paper. “We began this design four years ago,” Meena tells Surface. “That’s the thing about car designers. They’re always working on the future—and when you’re designing the future you start with blank paper. There, we bring all of our ideas together.”

Though every detail, line, and material has a purpose according to Meena, she says feeling is what summarizes Volvo design. “‘Color, material, and finish’ is the most important aspect of any design—not just car design,” she explains. “If you talk about fashion, architecture, or product design, then ‘color, material, and finish’ is the attribute that brings all of the emotion to the consumer.” The feeling she was driven to establish with the EX60 was a sense of calm.

To do so, Meena looked to nature. “Across all Swedish seasons, you experience different colors and textures—the changing color of the sky, the color of the water, the heather fields,” she says. “If you go to the north, you experience completely different flora and fauna than you do in Gothenburg, where our design studio is based.” Material choices invoke these observations and the emotions they elicit.

Meena references the rye theme as an example. “First, there is the wool blend interior,” she says. “We wanted to bring the coziness of home. The moment you touch the seat, it’s like a second skin. When you touch the wood, you feel its warmth. It’s not just about these elements but also the way they harmonize, and the way they want you to feel as if it is your car, your interior alone.”

“Charcoal draws from the beauty of darkness. It’s a statement room, that’s confident but tasteful. There is a perforation on the upholstery. It’s crossing waves. We took inspiration from where the two seas come together, where Denmark and Sweden meet. We brought that feeling to our pattern,” she adds. “Dawn is inspired by the light. Part of the year, it’s very dark in Sweden so it’s important to keep lightness close. Cardamom is my favorite. The name alone evokes a feeling—the feeling spice, of warmth.” She cites Acne, the Swedish fashion brand, as a source of inspiration throughout, not only for materials but for combinations of color.

This Milan Design Week, Volvo Cars introduced the EX60’s design themes. There, Meena participated in a talk on navigating the tension between timeless and familiar, futuristic and progressive. “This is where nature plays an important role,” she recalls. “Elements that feel like they’re from nature look timeless and yet they will not bore you. Wood will remain relevant 50 years down the line. We live with it all the time; we will continue to do so. With Volvo design, you are living in nature.”

Ultimately, a commitment to sustainability underpins it all. “It started with the architecture: a fully electric platform with a lot of technological advances,” Meena says. “At the same time, each component, each surface, has been thoughtfully designed to make it highly sustainable. It is the most sustainable car in the Volvo portfolio not only because of materials and surfaces but all the raw materials, which our eyes cannot see. Our aim is to be carbon neutral by 2040. EX60 is the next step in this direction.”