Volvo has not yet decided upon Horbury's successor. "The process is ongoing,'' said a Volvo spokesman, who added that the design departments at the two automakers are run independently. Both automakers are owned by China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group.

Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby issued a statement praising Horbury. "Peter Horbury has played a very important role for Volvo's design during a long period of time and has a legendary position in the automotive world," Jacoby said. "I wish him all success in his new role within Geely Group."

The 61-year-old Briton is credited with moving Volvo away from its boxy roots to the leaner, sleeker models found in the automaker's current lineup.

He began his career with the Swedish automaker in 1991 as head of design, helping to create new models such as the XC90 crossover before he moved in 2002 to Ford's Premier Automotive Group. There, he oversaw design at Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo.

Two years later, Horbury moved to Detroit to become executive director of design at Ford, before returning to Volvo in 2009 to assume the role of vice president design.

From 2007 through 2010, Ford sold all four brands that made up the PAG group. Last year, Zhejiang Geely bought Volvo from Ford for $1.5 billion (9.5 billion yuan).

Said Li Shufu, chairman of Geely Group and Volvo: "I am delighted that Peter Horbury has accepted the offer to lead the design development of the Geely Group brands. His vast experience in the industry will be key for the future success of Geely Group's products."