*By Amanda Weston*
Even as Mercedes-Benz unveils its latest models to the public at the L.A. Auto Show on Friday, designers at the company will be thinking much further ahead ー to the future of the auto industry.
"There is, in fact, a different time zone in our design departments," Gorden Wagener, chief design officer at Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, told Cheddar from the show's floor. "We're living like five to 15 years ahead in the future when you think about architecture and new cars."
As journalists explored the new limited edition AMG GT R Pro, Wagener explained the brand's philosophy of designing "something very emotional, beautiful, on one hand and something cool and rational on the other hand."
"It's always important to get this philosophy and bring it into the future and we have the opportunity that we have four brands: from Mercedes AMG as a performance luxury brand; Mercedes Maybach as an ultimate luxury brand; Mercedes-Benz representing the modern luxury; and then our new Mercedes EQ brand, the tech brand for the electric cars for the progressive luxury of the future," Wagener said.
"And that helps us to target different customers, to target different competitors, and basically do a whole range of different designs for the future."
While most of the company's plans for the future remain confidential, Wagener did reveal it is following a major trend in the auto industry: electric.
"There will be a big thing in electric," Wagener said. "We will launch a lot of electric vehicles."
Wagener said the company also remains excited about developing its Mercedes AMG sports car brand, most recently with its update of the GT family.
The two-door AMG GT Coupes and Roadsters will have the AMG DYNAMICS integrated driving control system and a new AMG Performance steering wheel.
Mercedes-Benz said the AMG GT R PRO was modified to "deliver even more racetrack performance" with a lightweight construction and new suspension.
The L.A. Auto Show officially begins Friday and runs through Dec. 9.
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