Longtime Mercedes Design Chief Steps Down

After nearly 30 years of design innovation and automotive milestones, Mercedes-Benz Chief Design Officer Gorden Wagener is leaving the company. 

“Gorden Wagener has shaped the identity of our brands with his visionary design philosophy. Over many years, he has made a decisive contribution ensuring that our innovative products are synonymous with unique aesthetics worldwide,” said Ola Källenius, chairman of Mercedes’ governing board said in a statement celebrating Wagener’s contributions to its lineup and brand. 

Wagener joined the company in 1997 and in 2008 was appointed chief of design, making him the youngest design chief in the industry at just 39 years old, Mercedes said.

One of his first designs was the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. According to the automaker, it “demonstrated his ability to create icons that combine technological performance with timeless beauty.”

He developed the design of the Mercedez-Benz, Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach and G-Class brands, as well as the van division and all of the company’s trucks until the 2022 spinoff of Daimler Truck AG. 

Wagener not only led the design of some of the brand’s most iconic vehicles but he also rejuvenated its design process with a focus on physical design using clay models “for perfect proportions, presence and sculptural form language.”

“His creativity and his sense for the future of automotive design have sustainably enriched Mercedes-Benz. I would like to thank Gorden for his commitment, his exceptional work and his lasting influence – and wish him all the best for the future,” Källenius said. 

Wagener’s time with the company officially ends Jan. 31 in what the company has called a mutual agreement.