While these premium proportions are largely thanks to the rear drive layout of these cars, even Mercedes’ front drive vehicles are benefitting from this newfound design ethos, albeit in a different way.
“We have certain cars that have to stand out of the crowd, like A-Class or CLA. These cars have no predecessor. They’re in the compact class, which is dominated by other brands so we have to do something that will get them noticed. We therefore decided to make their designs very progressive. Of course they should belong to one company, one family, but still they can be a bit more progressive.”
In defining the surface language of the future product range, a decision was made to move away from wedge design and focus on a more emotional treatment.
“There are so many car companies that try to make a sharp edge even sharper. We say ‘OK, there are certain edges because the car needs them,’ but at the end we concentrate purely on the shape of the car,” says Lesnik. “If you look back to our rich heritage and just pick maybe one car, maybe 300SL – a famous car that is very sensual –[it] is something very warm, something that you want to approach and touch, something very round.”
This form language is the essence of a Mercedes, says Lesnik: “In the previous phase our cars were very edgy. You see the current in E-Class still, the DLO, the greenhouse, everything is kind of hard and defined. But now there’s a contrast, a very strong contrast. Now we’re suddenly much more round, much more sensual.
“You really want to go over the rear shoulder of the S-Class Coupe. It’s very sculptural. There’s no additive design anymore. In the previous generation there was a body side and then we put on the wheel arches, for example on the S-Class. That was very add-on element. Now everything blends into one sculpture.”
The reasons for this design strategy are twofold, says Lesnik, it makes the cars appear smaller and lighter than they actually are. “The cars have grown because of certain pedestrian protection regulations and other things, but our goal is now to give them a certain optical lightness, visual lightness. This you can really achieve with rounder surfaces. There is not one line that defines a car. There is one line because the surface needs it. This is purity, sensual purity.”
