Volvo to open Silicon Valley research center

Volvo has decided to join the ranks of automakers with offices in Silicon Valley. The Swedish car company is in the process of opening a research center in Mountain View, Lex Kerssemakers, CEO of Volvo's U.S. division, said in an interview. The company is hiring some 70 engineers for the office, he said. Volvo, which is owned by Chinese automaker Geely but operates largely independently, has had an office in Camarillo for about 30 years that focused on car design, Kerssemakers said. Within the past three to four years, engineers based in that office also started to work on car infotainment systems, he said.