Product offensive - A 45 AMG: First high-performance vehicle built at Rastatt

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Start of production for the first high-performance vehicle at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Rastatt: after the A-Class and B-Class, the first AMG model in the history of the factory has left the assembly left recently. "The A 45 AMG is the sportiest car that ever rolled off the line here. We are very proud to be constructing high-performance vehicles in Rastatt. The team has exemplary integrated the AMG model into the ongoing production of the A-Class. For us, this milestone marks the start of a new era at the Rastatt site," said Peter Wesp, Head of Mercedes-Benz plant in Rastatt.

In the development of the A 45 AMG, the experts from Affalterbach have contributed with their extensive experience in motorsport and the construction of powerful high-performance cars. Thus the A 45 AMG will receive the typical AMG DNA and the brand promise of "Driving Performance" perfectly embodied. This is ensured with the implementation of the AMG-specific powertrain with the performance-oriented all-wheel drive AMG 4MATIC, the AMG sports suspension with independent front and rear suspension and the exclusive interior and exterior features. The Rastatt team has smoothly integrated the production of the volumes of the A-Class AMG model together with the AMG counterparts so that the assembly line is shared with the standard A-Class model. The A 45 AMG boasts a maximum output of 265 kW (360 hp). With the performance-oriented AMG 4MATIC all-wheel drive system, it sets new standards in its segment. The acceleration from zero to 100 km/h takes just 4.6 seconds, while top speed reaches 250 km/h (electronically limited). The high-performance hatchback is designed to appeal to new customers. The target group is between the ages of 30 and mid 40, which is a tad younger than the usual AMG customers.

The A 45 AMG is powered by an AMG 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine, which has been launched into production two weeks ago in the MDC engine plant in Kölleda. There, all BlueDirect four-cylinder engines for the A-Class and B-Class are built as well. Especially for the production of the new AMG engines, a new assembly line was set up at the plant according to the traditional AMG philosophy "one man, one engine". From now, the A 45 AMG can be ordered by clients. Starting June, the first units will be handed over to customers.

For the production of the new compact models in Rastatt, Daimler is investing 1.2 billion euros. 600 million euros were invested in a first stage, including the construction of a new body shop. A further 600 million euros follow in 2012 and 2013 for the second stage. These new investments will be including the reconstruction of the assembly line and the corresponding plant structure.

About the Mercedes-Benz plant in Rastatt

The Mercedes-Benz Rastatt plant employs about 6,500 people, making it the largest private employer in the region. In 2012, over 200,000 compact vehicles rolled off the assembly line at the site. The new generation of Mercedes-Benz premium compact cars will include, in addition to A-Class and B-Class, three sporty, emotional models, including a coupe and an SUV. The five models of the new compact car will be produced in the production network of the Rastatt plant, and from the end of March 2012, at the newly opened plant in Kecskemét, Hungary. Rastatt is the competence center for the production of the A-Class and B-Class. In late 2013, the compact SUV under the name GLA-Class will enter production stage here.

Credits: Daimler AG

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Mercedes-Benz Sport extends its portfolio: Sporty emphasis for the A-Class

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Mercedes-Benz Sport is now offering a broad palette of products to personalise the A-Class. At the Geneva Motor Show the company will use an A 180 in polar silver with detachable body parts in Jupiter red to demonstrate the numerous details with which an A-Class can be sportily upgraded using Genuine Accessories. Mercedes-Benz Sport will also be presenting the entire product portfolio in their own exhibition area.

Reminiscent of the historic Mercedes-Benz racing cars, the designers of the A 180 exhibited in Geneva have combined the polar silver exterior paintwork with detachable body parts in Jupiter red. This striking colour was used for the front apron spoiler lip, the roof spoiler and the rear apron trim in diffusor look. The sporty appearance is underlined by a decorative sticker kit in chequered flag design with a colour gradient and fine lines. The look can be rounded off with racing numbers and a tinted sun protection strip with Mercedes-Benz Sport lettering.

The show car in Geneva shows numerous personalisation options for the A-Class which will all be available as extras for the first time. These include the aforementioned decorative sticker kits and installation kits for a two-pipe rear silencer, sports suspension and brakes with perforated brake discs and red callipers on the front wheels.

Also included in the Mercedes-Benz Sport programme are the "Night" styling package, front and rear trim, the diamond radiator grille, illuminated door sills with the "Sport" logo, sports steering wheel, sports pedals and 18-inch (45.72 cm) two-tone light alloy wheels in black and high-sheen.

Mercedes-Benz Sport portfolio currently for four model series

Over the last three years Mercedes-Benz has offered a portfolio of elegant sporty products for personalising vehicles. The programme includes light alloy wheels, aerodynamic and optically-enhancing detachable body parts and interior products. These retrofit solutions accentuate a vehicle's sportiness and provide individual, elegant touches.

Mercedes-Benz Sport has been available since 2010 for the E-Class family; in 2011 products were added for the SLK and in 2012 for the C-Class family. Other model series are to follow. Most products for personalising the A-Class are already available and can be retrofitted by a qualified Mercedes-Benz partner.

High quality with Mercedes-Benz warranty and intelligent "add-on principle"

Mercedes-Benz Sport components stand out above conventional products for personalising vehicles in three specific points:

- Design is based on the high Mercedes-Benz quality criteria. The development is based on experience and observation of the basic vehicle and the original vehicle computer data. This ensures an outstandingly precise fit for the parts. All parts have been tested for reliability, durability and function in computer simulations and in practical tests. Also the aerodynamic parts have been tested in wind tunnels and test drives including high-speed circuits. As Mercedes-Benz Sport parts conform to the highest standards, they are sold with the Mercedes-Benz original warranty.

- Thanks to the intelligent "add-on principle" for detachable body parts, no existing parts have to be removed or exchanged. For example, original bumpers are retained and enhanced by Mercedes-Benz Sport parts.

- The same designers who design the basic vehicle are also responsible for Mercedes-Benz Sport styling. The features underline the vehicles' character and fit neatly in with the exacting design idiom of the Mercedes-Benz brand. Light-catching edges and taut surfaces create sportiness and reinforce the car's confident appearance.

An overview of Mercedes-Benz Sport for the A-Class

^[1] All prices incl.19% VAT, as valid in Germany, without fitting/painting (as at: February 2013).

Credits: Daimler AG

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UNCOVERED: The all new Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG reveals its secrets

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Impressive performance without any compromise and at a bargain price - it sounds like an impossible dream to achieve. Not any longer, as the new A 45 AMG high performance hatch is exactly the car to meet these stringent demands. Set to celebrate the official premiere next year, in March, at the Geneva Motor Show, the baby-Benz prepped by the Affalterbach engineers will be available for sale beginning with April 2013, when the company starts taking the first orders from clients. Deliveries are slated to kick off by June.

The A 45 AMG, pictured here with minimal exterior camouflage, is an all new proposition coming from the German tuning house which is used to dealing with higher stakes like the S 63 AMG or the SL 65 AMG. This project has also raised several challenge for the AMG development team. The new A 45 AMG has thus received a brand new, turbocharged petrol engine featuring an overall displacement of 2,000 cubic centimeters. It delivers no less than exactly 354 hp of peak output and 450 Nm of maximum torque, mostly available from low rpm values. The high-end rotation speed of the powerplant reaches 6,200 rpm, while the top speed will no longer be electronically governed at 250 km/h, but go as far as 270 km/h, which is more than any other model produced in Affalterbach can achieve without the removal of the integrated limitator.

Sending all that outrageous power and torque to the front wheels would have a bad decision, as stability and handling were to be seriously and dangerously affected. The solution came with the implementation of a simple, yet effective 4x4 system, featuring a Haldex central differential and several tweaks for improved grip and an extra dose of riding fun. With these being said, the 354 hp are being transferred, in rear-biased ratio of 40%-60%, to the four wheels of the car with the help of AMG's 7-speed double-clutch automatic gearbox, which can also work on manual mode thanks to the installation of shifting padels behind the steering wheel.

The chassis has also been further modified, as a high-performance suspension and damping system was installed. The ride height has thus been lowered by 2.5 centimeters. The new A 45 AMG also gets a state-of-the-art high-grade effort braking system with piston-controlled callipers. The exhaust is also improved to deliver great sound and function effectively.

While the exterior will not be a total departure from the styling of the A 250 SPORT special model, the A 45 AMG will display some unique features such as the double exhausts, the discrete rear spoiler placed at the top of the windshield, an integrated aerodynamic diffuser at the back, the high-sheen, multi-spoke/sports 18- & 19-inch alloy wheels in true AMG style and, last, but not least, the iconic single-louvre radiator grille with twin-blade design.

A preview test session has already been carried out on the Papenburg track in Germany, under the watchful eye of AMG bosses Ola Kaellenius and Tobias Moers. When put to compete with the Audi RS 3, the A 45 AMG is reported to have simply blasted away its opponent due to its superior performance.

When the all new Mercedes-Benz A 45 AMG will be launched onto the market, the starting price could possibly not exceed 50,000 euros in Germany. We are also expecting further images and details to be released by Mercedes-AMG GmbH in the next period. Don't forget to check back Mercedes-Benz-Blog for the latest stuff on the forthcoming A 45 AMG!

Image Credits: Facebook | Mercedes AMG / Daimler AG

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The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The pulse of a new generation - Complete Story

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The new A-Class is one of the substantially important models for Mercedes-Benz in its highlighted target to become world's first premium automotive constructor by 2020. The very first real luxury compact hatchback produced by the Stuttgart-based carmaker has already celebrated the global premiere at Geneva in March this year and the market sales start in mid-June 2012, with the first units hitting street beginning with second half of September. This article gathers all the crucial facts about the new W 176 Merc one needs to know. Whether you'd like to read about the latest breakthroughs in safety or assistance technology the A-Class brings or you are keen in seeing some of the best shots with this car taken in the picturesque city of Ljubljana, Slovenia, the only thing you need to do is surf through the cool stuff we have prepared specially for you. We assure you will have a great experience. Enjoy!

1. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The pulse of a new generation


2. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The management team on the new dynamic compact model

3. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: Exterior styling - The most progressive design in the compact class

4. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: Interior design - Extraordinary perceived value

5. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: Interview with Mark Fetherston, designer

6. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The model range - 'A' is for all-inclusive

7. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: Aerodynamics - Saving fuel the aerodynamic way

8. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The driving assistance systems - Radar-based collision warning system as standard

9. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: Significant reduction in accident figures thanks to driving assistance systems - Based on real-world accident profiles

10. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: Interview with Dr. Jörg Breuer, Head of Passenger Car Development, Active Safety

11. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: Passive safety - A strong basis and intelligent protection

12. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The diesel engines - Economy right across the board

13. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The petrol engines - Powerful, responsive and super-clean

14. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: CAMTRONIC valve lift adjustment - Using the camshaft to accelerate

15. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: Engine test benches - Trial by ordeal

16. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The 7G-DCT dual clutch transmission - Dynamic and efficient

17. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The six-speed manual transmission - Comfortable gearshifts

18. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The chassis and suspension - Agility and refined sportiness

19. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: TIREFIT and electric pump as standard - Getting home safely with a flat tyre

20. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: Multimedia systems - Always on

21. The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class: Production - At home in the centre of competence for compact cars

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The development of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The design - Complete Story

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Design defines the personality of a car. Mercedes-Benz artists have always successfully delivered an impressive and unmistakable indentity to every car released by the German carmaker during the 125-year history. As ultimate automotive trendsetter, the Stuttgart-based constructor is now ushering a new era for the premium compact class with the introduction of the new A-Class. Being the most eagerly awaited Mercedes-Benz automobile of 2012, the youthful hatchback is the fruit of an intense design development featuring both new and organic elements and inspirational styling from key visual concepts such as the SLS AMG, F 800 Style and F 125!. Seeing the final result, it goes without saying the A-Class inherently boasts the most refined and progressive design in the segment.

Why not have a look through the links posted below which talk about the comprehensive design development of the new A-Class? Enjoy!


1. The development of the A-Class: The most progressive design in the compact class



2. The development of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The interior - Extraordinary perceived value



3. The development of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The design - Interview with Mark Fetherston



4. The development of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The philosophy - Design as a trademark



5. The development of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The Advanced Design Studio in Como/Italy



6. The development of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The work methods of Mercedes-Benz Design

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The development of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The work methods of Mercedes-Benz Design

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The path leading from the first drawing to the model approval takes around three years. In this time a Mercedes goes through an endless series of work steps in the course of which the designers, so to say, grope their way little by little to the final vehicle. From previously competing drafts, the team produces the next generation of a Mercedes-Benz.

1. Drawing/Rendering: At the beginning of the design process there is always a drawing – hand-sketched on a piece of paper, or on a screen. Ideas that had previously only existed in the designer's mind become visible.

2. Package: The basis for every design is the package, the sum of all the technical requirements. This is the basis upon which the sketches have to be implemented in such a way that proportions, dimensions and lines give a harmonious image. 

3. 1:4 clay model: Not everything can be simulated on the computer, which is why the next step is to create a clay model of every variant of a new automobile. Only then can the designers decide whether their drafts create the desired effect in three dimensions, too. At the same time virtual models are always created on the computer.

4. Model selection: The final form of the new car is chosen from numerous variants, in order to be formally examined in a 1:1 scale. With the help of scanning and milling machines the first full-size "prototypes" are made. 

5. 1:1 model: All the individual details of the new model are fashioned by hand. A deceptively real-looking model is created. All the characteristic features of the new car reveal themselves. 

6. Interior sketches: First drawings and renderings are created for the design of the interior. This is when the different equipment lines are born, i.e. the interiors where the future driver has to feel at ease. The leit motif here: "Perfect aesthetics" – a design that feels committed to beauty.

7. Interior clay model: The best way for the designer to experience the development of the form is with a 1-in-1 clay model, built, so to say, from the inside out. All the details are modelled until an aesthetically top-quality spatial feeling is created. As a rule, three alternative interiors are built for a decision to be made.

8. Colour & trim / operating and display concept (control and display system): The material and colour options for the vehicle interior are determined. From hundreds of fabric and leather samples as well as a virtually endless colour spectrum the equipment variants for the future motor vehicle are determined. All the control and display elements are designed and developed to the optimum.

9. Interior data control model: All the materials and colours are tested for effect on sophisticated 1-in-1 interior models under "real-life conditions". Every material and every colour receives a code and is specified. 

10. Final model: The exterior and the interior with all their details are brought together to make a model. A deceptively realistic representation is created. All the characteristic features of the new car reveal themselves. The exterior shape of the future Mercedes-Benz model becomes tangible.

11. Model approval: The final point of every design process is the model approval by the Board. If this is successful, there is nothing more to stop the production of the new Mercedes-Benz.

Credits: Daimler AG


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The development of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The Advanced Design Studio in Como/Italy

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Integrated in the global Mercedes Design network, the designers at the Advanced Design Studio in Como find an inspiring environment for creative thoughts.

Always a good address: in the Villa Salazar near the shore of Lake Como, Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace used to produce bowties and neckties, before Mercedes-Benz opened the Advanced Design Studio here in February 1998. With its contemporary ceiling paintings, long corridors and different terracotta and wooden floors, the villa, built around 1750, is exceptionally inspiring for the around 20 designers who work here. This also holds true for the region itself: the famous triangle between the cities of Como, Milan and Turin is a centre of fashion and the furniture industry. Traditional crafts are highly valued there – an ideal environment for the Advanced Design Studio.

With its sister studios in Carlsbad (California), Tokyo, Beijing and Sindelfingen, the Advanced Design Studio in Como not only exchanges ideas, but also creative people. Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Mercedes-Benz, is responsible for all the Studios. Apart from the approximately 440 designers who take care of the series production vehicles, at the five Advanced Design Studios over 60 designers work on the concepts that have enabled the brand with the three-pointed star to look up to a quarter of a century ahead into the future.

A variety of inspirations flow into the concepts for the vehicle interior design – because this is what the Advanced Design Studio in Como has specialised in. Designers can allow their thoughts free rein without immediately having to think of series production. The latter is, of course, the final goal of the ideas and reflections. With the so-called "appreciation model" the designers first implement their ideal conceptions and then look for a way to translate these ideas to series production. This allows for a more consistent and higher-quality result than what would be obtained by upgrading the vehicle interior subsequently.

The tasks of the creative professionals in Como are numerous. They carry out normal research, develop drafts and build models – and always look beyond the horizon in order to develop the automobile interior of the future. A certain fine disregard for old conventional rules is desirable in order to find fresh approaches.

"We don't chase after fashion phenomena", says Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Mercedes-Benz, "we detect long-term trends which raise the value of our brand over the decades. Ideas which fulfil the highest requirements in terms of technology, performance, comfort and safety." A designer therefore has to "live in the future" and think two to three vehicle generations ahead of their time.

One of the first visible and tangible results produced by the Advanced Design Studios in Como was the interior of the Mercedes-Benz F 400 Carving research vehicle (Tokyo 2001). In 2002 the Vision GST, a forerunner of the Mercedes-Benz R-Class, followed in Detroit; 2003 saw the debut of the F 500 Mind research vehicle (Tokyo). In 2005 saw the public appearance in Washington of the Mercedes-Benz bionic car, and the F 600 HYGENIUS in Tokyo. The Mercedes-Benz F 700 research vehicle presented in 2007 featured an interior design based on cork and Alcantara®. In 2011 Mercedes-Benz presented the research cars F125! and F800 Style as well as the Concept A-CLASS; all three featured interior appointments from Como. Many unusual details of the Concept A-CLASS take their cue from the realm of aviation. Diverse components were restructured: the instrument panel and the centre console, for instance, consist only of a complex brushed aluminium structure. The result is a transparent, light, bionic forming.

Credits: Daimler AG

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The development of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class: The philosophy - Design as a trademark

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To create fascination and brand identity: that's the objective of the Mercedes-Benz design philosophy, oriented towards long-term effect rather than short-lived trends, it taps into a "gene pool" of brand-typical style elements in the sense of a living tradition. At the end of this process is the car as an individual space for living.

For Mercedes-Benz, design is literally a trademark. Because for over 100 years, design has characterised the image of the brand with the three-pointed star and has made visible typical Mercedes brand values such as fascination, responsibility and perfection. Insofar, design has important tasks on two counts – and Mercedes design has fulfilled them for many years now very successfully: the car's lines fascinate not only because of the product itself, they also serve as a mirror of the philosophy and profile of the Stuttgart-based automotive brand. In other words: design makes brand values visible – and sets its mark on them.

Design should also awaken passion, passion for the automobile and the wish to possess a model. "Love at first sight" has long been a slogan with a great reality content in the automotive trade. After arousing love at first sight, one of the main tasks of the designers is to create a lasting relationship and maintain the love affair over many years. The psychological arc goes from acquaint to recognise to brand awareness. It is not only a question of creating shapely, functional individual products, but of generating brand identity at the same time.

Identity and continuity

However, in order to build up and care adequately for such a successful brand image, long-term strategies and conceptual continuity are essential. New Mercedes models must indeed formally create a bridge to the future, but at the same time their lines may not abandon their origin. This guarantees that every new Mercedes-Benz possesses a clearly recognisable identity and shows its pedigree at the first glance. Although every model displays unmistakeable analogies with its predecessors, it shows a clear formal further development and heralds a new design era.

Given that a product life span of around 20 years is quite realistic for Mercedes automobiles, the designers must not indulge in passing fancies. The high market value which Mercedes-Benz passenger cars retain even after many years on the road is due not least to the fact that a previous model of Mercedes-Benz does not automatically "look" old. Even when new models come out in a model series, they don't detract from their predecessors, which continue to be desirable, in particular because of the enduring appeal of their design.

A Mercedes-Benz is always recognisable as a Mercedes-Benz. Meticulously and with great care, Mercedes-Benz designers ensure that certain style features, while being further developed, are retained in their basic form. Designers then speak of the brand's "gene pool". This is what they tap into, to care for and protect the style of the brand.

A good example of this is the typical Mercedes radiator grille – a feature which has identified and rendered unmistakable the motor car with the three-pointed star for over 100 years. Over this long span of time the radiator grille has been repeatedly developed further in a formal sense. Both in its basic proportions and in its details the designers try to interpret this identifying feature anew, creating a fresh, modern image.

This principle also applies for the sporty counterpart, the so-called SL radiator, which was directly derived from racing in the 1950s and has since become a symbol not only for Mercedes sports cars, but also for the refined sportiness which finds its expression in many model series. In the same manner as the saloon radiator, this element is also constantly being newly interpreted in the formal sense.

Through this detail work, form language and brand image retain their vitality, remain innovative and dynamic, but at the same time unmistakeable.

And yet an all-too-strict interpretation of the striving for formal continuity entails the risk of running into a stylistic dead-end alley, where there is no room for individuality. There is no such formal monotony at Mercedes-Benz; on the contrary: every model – whether it is a luxury saloon, a coupé, a roadster or a compact-class car – presents itself as an independent "personality". The common, well-known basic patterns of the form language are combined with new style elements that at first appear surprising, yet in conjunction with familiar elements condition, ever anew, the perception of the Stuttgart-based automotive brand.

Trends and reality

Recognising and shaping trends are important tasks of the auto designers. They live in the present, but their realm of action is the future. This calls for a very sensitive perception for changes in customers' life habits, for people's new attitudes towards their daily life and for those tendencies concerning form and colour made evident in other sectors such as the furniture industry or the electronics sector, for example. Or for impulses coming from other cultures; this is why Mercedes designers do not only work in Germany, but in Italy, Japan, China and the USA as well. The automaker has set up Advanced Design Studios at all these locations, to act as a sort of seismograph and pick up stylistic trends on site and analyse them to process them creatively. A key issue here is the ability to intuitively grasp that which can attain formal timelessness, and to develop a sensitivity for important, sustainable tendencies in art, culture and society. 

However, having a vision for the future and being able to sense new trends is not enough. Because behind the manifold, diffuse wealth of future ideas on offer there lies the question of which of the currents does a brand like Mercedes-Benz want to allow itself to be influenced by. For Mercedes-Benz it has always been decisive to be, not fashionable, but modern.

That's why what is important is to distinguish between short-lived tendencies and long-term developments and thus identify customers' authentic expectations for the future. Mercedes designers therefore do not need trend counselling but rather a well-founded prognosis and concrete answers to the questions as to how people will live tomorrow, how they will consume and – in particular – how to enthral and inspire future customers. The challenge consists in reflecting about possible future developments and to think further – beyond the reality that bears the seal of trends and fashion.

Passion and practicality

This aspect is probably the most important and interesting of those that determine the work of automotive designers. It is all about people, or, more specifically, about customers and their personality. Because driving a car today means a lot more than reaching your destination in safety and comfort. Today, more than ever, the emphasis is on making the journey itself an experience that is enjoyable because one feels at ease in one's car, and because the car goes well with one's lifestyle – and because it is also possible to express style very well by means of the car. More than ever, the sensory perception of a product therefore plays an exceptional role.

Experience and enjoyment

Keeping the fascination for what is beautiful alive over the years is also one of the most important tasks of the interior designers. Its importance for design work is increasing. The interior of a car is conceived as a space for living, one where a lot of time is spent. That is why a pleasant environment is playing an increasingly important role in the motor car, too.

There is no doubt about it: customers have become both more demanding and more discerning over the years in this respect. They not only want a wide choice of possible appointments from which to pick precisely that which suits their individual taste and personality. They now also set greater store by the use of high-quality materials and precision workmanship. These of course help convey, whilst also making more tangible, values such as aesthetics, comfort and quality as part of the overall visual impression.

The objective of the interior designers at Mercedes-Benz can be summed up in a few words: one gets into the car, closes the doors and immediately feels at home.

Form and function

But for all their love and attention to detail: automotive designers are not packaging artists. It is by no means their task to simply pack new technologies or new vehicle concepts into a handsome form – they contribute decisively towards initiating new ideas and help them on their way to series production, The entire Mercedes-Benz strategic product initiative documents just how closely product strategy, design and technology work together at the Stuttgart-based automotive brand.

Mercedes designers are integrated right from the start in the concept phase and in the development process of new models. That also means: design work is team work; the design studio of a large-series manufacturer is not a dream factory. In a team both designers and engineers have to be ready to make compromises in order to find viable solutions that meet all the requirements. This poses harder challenges for automotive designers than for their colleagues in other industrial sectors. The motor car is one of the few industrial products from which the customer expects not only a handsome exterior, but also a perfectly-designed interior as well. In addition to this, the car is a product made up from different individual areas. Many of these details are quite as complex as entire devices produced in other industrial sectors.

Function and aesthetics, technology and art: what at first sight sounds contradictory has to blend into a harmonious overall concept in a modern car. The objective has been attained if design work and the engineering arts complement each other on a sophisticated level. Thus, practicality and good design are not natural enemies. Technological leadership is an integral part of the brand philosophy and it is the task of design to make this mission visible, while setting trends in its own way.

Visions and emotions

This is what show cars, concept and research vehicles are also for. They are conceived and developed in order to impulse auto-visions, to test new vehicle concepts and technologies, to intensify the dialogue with customers and also to analyse the public's reaction to these auto-ideas. Mercedes-Benz also carries out such auto-studies in order to take a look at the future in respect of stylistic developments and to offer designers a possibility to develop and implement new form languages.

But whether a unique research vehicle or series-produced – a motor vehicle is always perceived with one's senses. No-one can evade its emotional effect. Long before one has any idea about the relevant technical facts or innovations, through its mere appearance – that is, through its design – it awakens desires. It is the responsibility of the designers to awaken and keep alive these emotions. The goal of their work is to create automobiles in the field of tension between technology and design, that are characterised both by technical and emotional intelligence.

The designers' work is a success if customers buy cars not only for purely rational reasons but also with their heart – and mind.



Credits: Daimler AG

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