- Mercedes-Benz design chief Gordon Wagener predicts AI will dominate automobile design inside 10 years
- Wagener mentioned Mercedes is already utilizing AI in automobile 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 position in automotive design, probably evolving to a degree the place AI is answerable for practically all elements of the inventive course of.
In an interview with ABC Information printed on Feb. 23, Wagener acknowledged that AI-driven design remains 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rework automotive design and recommended that inside a decade, the know-how might render most automobile designers out of date.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 by day.
“My successor shall be a machine and shall be less expensive than my wage,” he joked.
2025 Mercedes-Benz EQS
Past cars, Wagener has lately expanded his design affect to incorporate Mercedes-Benz-branded luxurious condominium towers in Dubai and Miami. Nevertheless, his main focus stays the way forward for automobile design, the place AI is predicted to change into an indispensable instrument.
In the course of the interview, Wagener additionally addressed criticism surrounding Mercedes-Benz’s current electrical car designs, significantly the EQS sedan, which has confronted sluggish gross sales. The EQS’s jelly bean-like type, designed for aerodynamics, was described by Wagener as “progressive” and probably forward of its time. Nevertheless, Mercedes seems to be shifting away from this design language, choosing future EVs to extra carefully resemble their gas-powered counterparts.
Wagener additionally expressed skepticism in regards to the rising prevalence of digital screens in trendy automobile interiors. Regardless of Mercedes-Benz boasting one of many largest automotive shows—the 56-inch Hyperscreen—he questioned their position in luxurious. “Screens aren’t luxurious,” he mentioned, emphasizing that Mercedes-Benz will focus extra on craftsmanship and class in future fashions.
He additional famous that clients are likely to understand EVs as digital units, whereas gas-powered vehicles are seen as long-lasting, timeless objects, akin to Chrono watches. Wagener recommended that Mercedes-Benz will distinguish its EVs by making them really feel extra like a sensible house somewhat than a cell phone, significantly as self-driving know-how turns into extra distinguished. Nevertheless, he famous that the prospect of a totally self-driving automobile remains to be a great distance off.
