Berggren: dream job for Volvo’s Mertens – Expressen

It is of course dieselskandalen and the aftershock from the one who takes Peter Mertens from the Volvo to the Audi. Audi’s ceo Rupert Stadlar and the whole VW group have been drained of managers and engineers since the scandal briserade last summer. The VW group has, by all available means tried to protect Audi from burning themselves on the motorfusket in diesel cars.

But I’m also pretty sure that Stadler had his eyes on Mertens in the Volvo the whole of the 90 projects, and he been impressed by the technical developments of the Volvo and how well the 90-cars landed at the premium market.

Mertens also has a solid knowledge in key areas such as security and self-driven cars – which Audi need to improve.

I have interviewed Peter Mertens on a number of occasions and always been struck by his friendly manner and, above all, his usual way. Peter Mertens is very much as anyone and he does not do the footwork.

* When the Volvo XC90 would do undanmanöverprovet in connection with the Car of The Year tests in Denmark last autumn stood Mertens in snålblåsten and looked at. And then he went also in one of the cars were test, in the back seat. XC90 passed the test reasonably well but not as good as Volvo’s engineers had hoped. There was a lot of thinking and klurande. But not for a second that Mertens started questioning the test, or find that we’ve done something wrong. Instead, he talked directly with the engineers and project managers about what the outcome could depend on.

* In the winter, there was Mertens with when I got an exclusive opportunity to test drive the new Volvo S90 the Volvo’s secret test facility. Mertens sat next to when I drove around with the S90 in the snow and we talked a lot about the handling characteristics and what is required to build a stable and safe car.

this year was Mertens again during the testveckan in Denmark and I had a chat with him one morning after breakfast. We talked a lot about self-driven cars and how Volvo now approached his new role as one of the world’s premiumtillverkare. Mertens seemed to taste a little of the feeling that we are now seriously did the duels with the Volvo S/V90 against the Mercedes E-class.

now When Peter Mertens takes the spot next to Rupert Stadler, the competition will from Mercedes to be commonplace.

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