Volvo Cars has partnered with type specialists Dalton Maag to develop Centum, a bespoke typeface crafted specifically for the in‑car environment.
The company says the new design aims to help drivers absorb information more quickly, maintain sharper concentration, and experience a calmer, more intuitive interface.
Centum takes its name from Volvo’s upcoming 100‑year milestone in 2027. It will first appear in the new Volvo EX60 before being introduced more broadly across the brand’s model range and digital ecosystems.
Volvo explains that the typeface has been shaped with an obsessive attention to detail, the weight of each stroke, the balance between characters, and the spacing of every letter have all been refined to reduce visual clutter. The result, according to the design team, is a typographic style that supports “clarity without distraction” and reflects the brand’s distinctly Scandinavian approach to restrained, functional design.
Matthew Hall, Volvo’s UX Creative Director, emphasised that typography plays a more vital role in driving than most people realise. He noted that users increasingly desire simpler, more composed interfaces, and that Centum forms part of a wider effort to bring a sense of calm and order to the driver display.
He adds that achieving this requires careful coordination, ensuring each on‑screen element is proportioned, positioned, and timed in a way that guides the driver rather than overwhelms them.
The typeface is engineered for consistency across screens and for readability in every lighting condition. It supports more than 800 languages and has been optimised for quick, glance‑based reading, essential for interfaces used while on the move.
Zeynep Akay, Creative Director at Dalton Maag, explained that designing for a moving environment demands a unique mindset. Centum, she says, has been crafted to remain clear and stable even when the vehicle is travelling at high speeds, offering reliable performance across multiple scripts and driving contexts.
Charging time remains a worry for many South Africans considering an electric vehicle, who still see it as a disruption rather than a quick stop at a filling station. That view is starting to shift.
The winners of the 2026 Automotive Business Council | naamsa Accelerator Awards were announced at the recently held Auto Week 2026, which took place in eThekwini, KZN.
When Cobus Coetzee (photo) accepted the opportunity to join the Morgan Group in Upington, he had to weigh up more than a new position. The move meant exchanging the West Coast’s cooler climate and seaside lifestyle for the Northern Cape’s desert heat, while taking responsibility for a multi-franchise operation spread across several premises.
Advertisement
Advertisement
I have bad reflexes. I was once run over by a car being pushed by two guys
Woody Allen
The winners of the 2026 Automotive Business Council | naamsa Accelerator Awards were announced at the recently held Auto Week 2026, which took place in eThekwini, KZN.
With the steep rise in fuel prices since March this year leading to historic record highs following massive increases in October, the government intervention annouched this week, is widely welcomed.
Omoda has confirmed that the new C4 will become the first model from the Chery Group to be built in South Africa, with production set to take place at the company's Rosslyn manufacturing facility in Gauteng.
