Bastian Baudy: I have been with Mercedes Benz design for 15 years. I started in advanced design, where I was responsible for show cars, pre production strategies, future portfolio topics, and the development of the form language.

After that, I moved into production and series design, and that is where I really understood what car design means. It is one thing to draw sketches and bring emotion into a design, but it is another thing to make that design accessible for customers while also dealing with technical regulations, engineering requirements, and financial realities.

For the last three years, I had the chance and privilege to be Head of Design at AMG. I was responsible for the overall design appearance of the brand, including exterior design, interior design, and user interface. That was a great opportunity to create a holistic design vision for AMG.

Since February, I have been at the headquarters in Sindelfingen, where I am now responsible for the overall Mercedes Benz design, including AMG, Maybach, smart, and vans.

I know the team very well after 15 years, and they know me. Everyone is very excited about creating the new generation of Mercedes Benz cars.

Motor 283: Mercedes Benz has one of the longest and strongest design heritages in the automotive industry. How do you define the essence of Mercedes design today?

Bastian Baudy: It is very important to identify the essence of Mercedes Benz and its design. Mercedes has always stood for innovation strength, quality, and a strong presence. These are also reasons why people buy our cars.

The challenge is to focus on these values and transport them into the future in a world that is becoming more complex. Cars are becoming more intelligent and more complex than ever. Target groups are also becoming more diverse. Within that complexity, we always need to find the Mercedes answer.

That means we base everything on our strong heritage, but we also use that heritage as inspiration for the future.

Motor 283: We are going to see the AMG GT four door tonight. What should we understand about the design of this new electric AMG?

Bastian Baudy: The front end of an AMG is very important. We need to keep the strong heritage and the graphic identity that is known around the world for AMG. That includes the A shaped grille and the vertical lamellas.

These elements are recognized globally as AMG design signatures. With future technologies and manufacturing possibilities, we are taking that essence and transporting it into the future. For example, the grille bars are illuminated, and the grille outline is also illuminated. This gives the AMG brand a more specific and bolder expression, even at night.

The nature of a car is not only about the engine. It is also about the four wheels, driving performance, weight distribution, and physics. All of that comes into car design.

The AMG GT four door is a rocket on four wheels. That is why we designed it the way we did. It has a tapering, forward leaning shark nose front end that focuses on the road and feels determined for everything ahead.

It also has a very sleek silhouette. Because of the recess in the battery, we were able to sit the rear passenger lower while still keeping a good knee angle. That helped us create a sleek profile that is actually four centimeters lower than the combustion engine predecessor.

That is quite phenomenal because usually an electric car has to add the height of the battery into the overall vehicle package. But we managed to make it even lower to create a very dynamic and sporty look.

At the rear, the car has a turbine like aerodynamic cut off design, almost like a rocket. It gives the car a very determined and bold appearance. Overall, it gives us the possibility to reinvent what a Mercedes AMG could look like in the electric era.

Motor 283: In a dynamic market like China, we see incredible speed and many competitors. What is the most important design lesson there?

Bastian Baudy: Speed is definitely essential in a market like China. But what is even more crucial is identity.

I was at the Beijing Motor Show a few weeks ago. When you walk through the halls, you see brands you have never heard of, and new cars appearing everywhere. It is insane how big it is and how many new vehicles are shown.

But I always felt very comfortable coming back to the Mercedes booth because it had such a strong identity. That will be essential for the future development of Mercedes.

Our heritage gives us a strong foundation, but it also gives us incredible inspiration. We have done so much over the last 140 years that defines Mercedes Benz as it is today. Many of those elements are design related, such as the AMG grille and other visual signatures that developed over time.

The key is to focus on the things that make Mercedes Benz unmistakable and unique, and bring them into the future.

Motor 283: When it comes to luxury, how does Mercedes Benz approach materials and craftsmanship today?

Bastian Baudy: Mercedes Benz has always stood for innovation, strength, and quality. In the luxury segment, such as the S Class, it is about having the best quality and craftsmanship in the materials.

A Mercedes seat should feel different from others. You should be surrounded by something that gives you the feeling of coming home. That is what we call it. When you step into a Mercedes, you should not feel frightened or feel that there are things you do not want to touch. Everything should feel natural.

This also relates to natural materials, but we are developing that further. It does not always have to be leather. We also have synthetic materials. In the GLC and C Class, we introduced a paper trim piece, which is very unique and special.

We are developing materials further with modern technology. We also introduced advanced synthetic leather and are developing it in a new direction while maintaining high craftsmanship and quality.

The Mercedes way is not about choosing a cheaper or more reasonable material just because it fits a purpose. It is about treating materials in the right way to reach the quality level that creates the experience of coming home when you sit in a Mercedes. The C Class and new GLC are also the first two cars in the world to have fully vegan certified interiors.

Motor 283: Cars are becoming more complex, with more screens and more intelligent systems. How does Mercedes answer that in its interiors?

Bastian Baudy: The car is becoming more complex and more intelligent than ever. So it is essential to always find the Mercedes way.

Mercedes never simply followed trends or mainstream ideas. We always focus on the value of Mercedes Benz and our core beliefs, then answer future questions with a clear identity.

It is the same with screens, user interface, and user experience. That is why we introduced the pillar to pillar screen in the GLC and C Class, together with connected light, to create something immersive and special.

A Mercedes should make a statement even before you drive it. It needs presence. That applies to the exterior, but also to the interior and user interface.

In the AMG GT four door, the interior is a great example. It is a car made for the driver. As I said, it is like a rocket, and it needs a cockpit that allows the driver to manage that performance in the best possible way.

The head unit screen is angled toward the driver, giving it strong driver orientation. There are also hard keys to adjust the agility of the car and allow the driver to use the car’s full potential.

Every Mercedes segment needs its own answer. The AMG platform GT, the S Class, the C Class, and the GLC are different cars, but each one must give the customer the best possible Mercedes Benz experience for that segment.

Motor 283: What is your design approach to electric cars? Should they look completely different from combustion cars?

Bastian Baudy: In the past, the industry sometimes approached electric cars as if they had to look different from combustion cars. But the fact that a car has an electric motor does not change everything.

Physics still exists. Aerodynamics still exists. The overall vehicle package and design are still influenced by the same basic principles.

Electric cars give you more freedom in some areas, but they also create constraints in others. What we did with AMG, and what you will see in future cars, is that we focus on the idea that it must first be an AMG. The same applies to Mercedes Benz. It must first be a Mercedes Benz.

That is what we did with the GLC and C Class. You see that they are Mercedes cars first. The type of engine they use is secondary.

Motor 283: You come from AMG, where performance is everything. How does that influence your wider Mercedes Benz design approach?

Bastian Baudy: When you design for a brand like Mercedes Benz, you work with a very diverse portfolio. My time at AMG helped me understand performance driven design better. It is highly functional. Everything we do has intention.

Where we place volumes, graphics, and lines is all done to create a certain expression. The design must visually express the character that lies inside the car. In the case of AMG, that character is high performance.

I grew up in the eighties and nineties, and back then, you could recognize a Mercedes Benz from 100 or 200 meters away. The cars had a very strong presence. That is also part of the character of Mercedes Benz cars. It comes back to focusing on brand essentials and developing them into the future.

That is what I love about this job. We work on sports cars, luxury limousines, SUVs, and compact cars. It gives us a broad creative field.

Motor 283: We are witnessing one of the most aggressive resets of the Mercedes lineup in the past 140 years. Were you part of that reset outside AMG, and will you bring AMG elements into non AMG vehicles?

Bastian Baudy: I have been with Mercedes Benz design for 15 years, and most of my time was not spent only on AMG cars. I worked on limousines, SUVs, and the wider Mercedes Benz lineup.

The first show car I was responsible for was the AMG Vision Gran Turismo. In a way, it started with AMG, then led me back to AMG later, and now back to Mercedes Benz as a whole.

Together with the design team, I helped develop the form language of the last 15 years. Every new step and every new position teaches you something. At AMG, I learned a lot about performance driven design and how to express the character of a car visually.

Motor 283: You mentioned that you were influenced by Mercedes design from the eighties and nineties. Now that you are heading the whole design language of Mercedes, how are you planning to maintain that heritage while facing future design challenges?

Bastian Baudy: To answer that fully, I would have to show you the cars coming in 2030 and beyond. But that is exactly the challenge. How do you preserve what the company stands for while also answering future questions?

In the eighties and nineties, there were no screens in the car. There was no high connectivity, and the demands were completely different. But even then, Mercedes gave its own answer to the questions of that decade.

I grew up in that environment, so it influenced me. Design is a very personal craft. I always tell my designers to give me designs they truly believe in and are excited about. If they are not excited about a design, why should I be excited? And how could I convince the board of management or future customers?

Design must carry excitement and fascination. Not long ago, I was also sitting at my desk sketching cars and putting my heart, soul, and personality into those sketches, while always reflecting what the brand stands for and what the current situation demands.

Every line in car design is deliberate. It is not like pure art, where you put your soul into something and people may like it or not. Cars must answer customer needs in China, the United States, and the rest of the world.

The challenge is to sharpen the essence of what Mercedes stands for, then use that as inspiration for the future together with modern technology.

Motor 283: If you could decide everything freely, would that make the design better?

Bastian Baudy: With the Vision Gran Turismo, we had the chance to do that, and that is why the car looks the way it does.

But constraints are not always negative. You may think of them as limitations, such as the engine needing to be in a certain place, the trunk needing a certain size, the battery being in a specific location, or the cooling requirements needing space.

But these constraints give the car character. They put you in focus. Design is about giving the right answers to real questions and real circumstances. That is the challenge I love because you need to create solutions and make them work.

The best thing is that you can drive these cars. You can drive them with so much emotion. That is why I love designing cars. A car is not like a glass or a bottle. It is an object in motion, and it creates emotion through movement.

Everyone has stories about driving cars. That is what makes them special. So I am happy to have constraints because they help create something that delivers emotion when driven.

Motor 283: Since you brought up the first car you worked on, how did that project come to life? Did they come to you and say you need to build a car for Batman?

Bastian Baudy: No, it was not originally meant for Batman. Later on, Zack Snyder came to us and wanted to have that car in the movie.

The project itself was actually even crazier. It was called Vision Gran Turismo because it was designed for the Gran Turismo game. If I had gone to my professor at university and said I wanted to design a car for a computer game, they probably would have reacted strangely.

But it was fascinating. I played Gran Turismo as a kid, so I had a huge attachment to the game. It was brilliant. We even had to play the game while working because we needed to understand the different perspectives. In Gran Turismo, you can sit inside the car, but you can also view it from above. So the proportions and graphics had to work from those angles.

It was an insane project and a very cool one. It was not a bad way to start.

Motor 283: Since design is personal, will the future Mercedes Benz design language carry your personal interpretation?

Bastian Baudy: Yes, in a way. Design is a personally driven craft. The way I am, and the beliefs I have, will definitely influence it. That is also why they put me in this position. They believe in me, my skills, and my capability to give answers for the future of Mercedes Benz design.

So there will be my take on future Mercedes Benz design. But I always think we are serving the company. I am not doing this for myself. I am creating the best products possible for the customer and for the success of the company.

I love the brand and the products we create. When you go to the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart, which I highly recommend, you see the history of the brand displayed like a DNA helix. It shows the generations of cars alongside what was happening in the world at each time.

I tell my team that it is now up to us to add the next level to that helix. One day, maybe we will go to the Mercedes Museum with our grandchildren and show them the next generation of cars we created. We should ask ourselves what we want to be proud of.

So yes, the future will be unique and specific to my understanding and interpretation of Mercedes Benz. But I am not more important than the company or the cars we are creating.

Motor 283: You mentioned Vision Gran Turismo, but what about icons like the G Class?

Bastian Baudy: The G Class is an amazing car. The Vision Gran Turismo is like a car for the game, so the two are not really comparable. But the G Class is iconic, and I love that car. I would drive it every day, although it is a bit difficult to find a parking space in Stuttgart.

I had one the other week, and I was fascinated by it. But I cannot choose only one type of car. We have such a broad portfolio. I love designing sports cars, but I also love designing status limousines.

All of these cars have unique and special characters, and all of them have strong heritage. It may be the SL from the first Gullwing, the S Class, or the G Class. These are all cars with great character.

As a designer, being able to create a new character for the AMG GT four door and define what performance driven design can look like for an electric AMG was an amazing opportunity. It showed what AMG can become in the future.

Motor 283: You mentioned the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart and the idea of taking your grandson there in the future. Which car would you stop at and tell the best story?

Bastian Baudy: That is difficult because I like many cars. I like the Vision Gran Turismo, and I like many of the cars I have worked on.

At the moment, I am driving a CLE 53 AMG, which is one of my absolute favorites. I love its stance and the emotion it creates.

But I would say the cars we are still going to create are the most exciting for me. I cannot tell you about them right now, but we will need to meet again in the future. For me, the most exciting project is always the one we are currently working on because it brings something new.

In design, we always have to think four to five years ahead and imagine what the next big thing will be. So I am always very excited about the future.That is something I will also take with me for Mercedes cars, whether it is an S Class or another model. It is about focusing on the essence of the car’s character and bringing it alive. That is what drives me.