Chief Design Officer of Mercedes-Benz Charts Company's Vision for the Future
*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.
Orangetheory Fitness is redefining the future of workouts with smarter tech, strength-based programming, and community-driven studios built for what’s next.
Spain's government has fined Airbnb 64 million euros or $75 million for advertising unlicensed tourist rentals. The consumer rights ministry announced the fine on Monday. The ministry stated that many listings lacked proper license numbers or included incorrect information. The move is part of Spain's ongoing efforts to regulate short-term rental companies amid a housing affordability crisis especially in popular urban areas. The ministry ordered Airbnb in May to remove around 65,000 listings for similar violations. The government's consumer rights minister emphasized the impact on families struggling with housing. Airbnb said it plans to challenge the fine in court.
Roomba maker iRobot has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but says that it doesn’t expect any disruptions to devices as the more than 30-year-old company is taken private under a restructuring process. iRobot said that it is being acquired by Picea through a court-supervised process. Picea is the company's primary contract manufacturer. The Bedford, Massachusetts-based anticipates completing the prepackaged chapter 11 process by February.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
Wealthfront’s CFO Alan Iberman talks the $2.05B IPO and the major moment for robo banking as the company bets on AI, automation, and “self-driving money."
