- Mercedes-Benz design chief Gordon Wagener predicts AI will dominate automotive design inside 10 years
- Wagener mentioned Mercedes is already utilizing AI in automotive design
- Wagener mentioned digital screens aren’t luxurious and that Mercedes will shift focus is craftsmanship and class
Mercedes-Benz design chief Gorden Wagener believes synthetic intelligence will play an more and more dominant function in automotive design, probably evolving to some extent the place AI is accountable for practically all elements of the artistic course of.
In an interview with ABC Information printed on Feb. 23, Wagener acknowledged that AI-driven design continues to be in its early phases however famous that Mercedes has already built-in AI into its design workflow.
He predicted that AI will drastically rework automotive design and advised that inside a decade, the know-how may render most automotive designers out of date. He admitted that, at current, 99% of AI-generated designs are “crap,” however the remaining 1% is “great things” and bettering day-after-day.
“My successor might be a machine and might be less expensive than my wage,” he joked.
2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS
Past cars, Wagener has just lately expanded his design affect to incorporate Mercedes-Benz-branded luxurious condominium towers in Dubai and Miami. Nonetheless, his major focus stays the way forward for automotive design, the place AI is anticipated to change into an indispensable device.
In the course of the interview, Wagener additionally addressed criticism surrounding Mercedes-Benz’s latest electrical car designs, significantly the EQS sedan, which has confronted gradual gross sales. The EQS’s jelly bean-like kind, designed for aerodynamics, was described by Wagener as “progressive” and probably forward of its time. Nonetheless, Mercedes seems to be shifting away from this design language, choosing future EVs to extra intently resemble their gas-powered counterparts.
Wagener additionally expressed skepticism concerning the rising prevalence of digital screens in fashionable automotive interiors. Regardless of Mercedes-Benz boasting one of many largest automotive shows—the 56-inch Hyperscreen—he questioned their function in luxurious. “Screens usually are not luxurious,” he mentioned, emphasizing that Mercedes-Benz will focus extra on craftsmanship and class in future fashions.
He additional famous that clients are inclined to understand EVs as digital units, whereas gas-powered automobiles are seen as long-lasting, timeless objects, akin to Chrono watches. Wagener advised that Mercedes-Benz will distinguish its EVs by making them really feel extra like a wise residence moderately than a cell phone, significantly as self-driving know-how turns into extra outstanding. Nonetheless, he famous that the prospect of a completely self-driving automotive continues to be a good distance off.
