In a recent interview with ABC News, Gorden Wagener, the Chief Design Officer at Mercedes-Benz, stated that the large screens now common in many vehicles no longer define luxury. He highlighted the need to move beyond the screen to create a more luxurious experience through craftsmanship and sophisticated design.
“We don’t have the hyperscreen in all the cars right now, just in a few. From the hardware side, it’s very good. From the software side, it hasn’t been that good. Because when you have a big screen, you want to have great content on it. So we’re working on content that is more specific and more entertaining.” – Gorden Wagener
Wagener explained that with increasingly large screens in nearly every car, the company is prioritizing elements like craftsmanship and sophistication to elevate the driving experience. The emphasis is on making Mercedes vehicles better through design and quality of materials.
When questioned about the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in car design, Wagener acknowledged its growing influence, saying that AI will drastically change the way Mercedes designs cars. He noted that while sorting through the vast amount of AI-generated content is a challenge, the technology offers promising opportunities for innovation.
“We work with AI now. You get 99% of crap with AI and sheer quantity. That’s the biggest problem — sorting out the good from the bad. But you get 1% good stuff and we keep learning. It’s getting better every day. AI will drastically change the way we design. I think in 10 years maybe most of the design will be done by AI and it will make designers obsolete. My successor will be a machine and will be much cheaper than my salary.” – Gorden Wagener
The upcoming 2026 Mercedes S-Class facelift is anticipated to feature a hyperscreen similar to the one in the EQS models, showing that screens will remain an important part of the Mercedes design concept.
Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer at Mercedes-Benz.
