Mercedes wants to become younger. In the five international Designcentern day 500 heads of creative work to prepare for the next years the Swabian brand.

In the coming year, Mercedes-Benz celebrates its 125 anniversary. For the next 125 years to at least as successful as the past, the Stuttgart-based carmaker has prescribed a comprehensive Frischzellenkur itself. The star brand, which once started with horse carriage and simplex, wants to be not only a technology pioneer in the premium segment, but under creative mind Gorden Wagener to the still drop, which can position itself not only in the automotive world. No easy task, finally a variety of manufacturers want to put this world as stylish in scene. Wagener, which came about two and a half years ago in the large footsteps of Peter Pfeiffer and Bruno Sacco, has five worldwide locations a team to be gathered, the Daimler visionärer and emotional to wear than ever in the next few years.

Each of the international design comes to a different meaning. The strings run together in the Designzentrale of Sindelfingen. In the constructing lush dimensioned compartments on the business premises of the important decisions are made every week. Vehicle concepts from around the world, new proposals and ideas are presented on powerful projection and in the presentation Hall. Decide about pros and wider is finally the so-called AMP area. By around 500 Mercedes employees in the field of design, work alone 420 in Sindelfingen.

Many of the creative forces at Lake Como look without envy. Here, the former chief designer Bruno Sacco has set up a Centre for interior design in the 1990s. Only a few steps from the unique Lake Como live almost 20 Mercedes employees in a pretty old Villa. Lush sized rooms with frescoes and ceiling paintings to animate the ingenuity. “Italy is still a stylishten places all over the world just in the region of Milan”, tells Studio Director Michele Paganetti, who runs the Studio for more than a decade, “it is more than anywhere else about fashion, furniture, chic and way of life.” We are dealing here only with the Interior in Como. “That is there nowhere else.” Design, materials and styling of the interiors are becoming increasingly important. Here the customer looks out, handles and just feels well – or not. “First of all it comes, whether a general trend is for the automotive market”, adds Paganetti, “in a second step is still important whether this trend could be also something for the brand Mercedes.” In recent years was on Lake Como, behind closed doors eager on the Interior of technology carrier Mercedes F 800 style worked. In the project “my first Mercedes” was also a new start for the a-class, which clearly teenager positioned 2012 comes on the market.

Scene change to Tokyo. The next design of Daimler is located since 1993 in a sensational little flat roof building in Yokohama. “For us Japan is the brain of Asia still”, underlines Steffen Koehl, head of advanced design at Mercedes, the importance of the location, “Japan and the local forces here are quite different from the other studios.” You work technically perfect, but you must get the most out them carefully. “The operation is completely different.” In the catchment area of the metropolis of Tokyo, it goes for Studio Director Holger Huntzenlaub not only the design, but also future research and new trends, which daily emerge in Asia. Here was once the Maybach idea on the way and developed large parts of the Interior for SLK and S-class. Drawings with visionary vehicle concepts of the future can be seen at the herunterziehbaren walls of the presentation. Steffen Koehl: “we are working here not any spinning, but visionary future ideas for transport concepts of tomorrow and the corresponding expansion of the current portfolio.”

From Japan and Sindelfingen out, the latest design is still controlled by Mercedes in Beijing. “We build up the just”, underlines Studio Director Olivier Boulay, “we have currently six people on the ground and still work in offices in the Daimler Tower.” The Studio of Beijing to cover the most important boom market in the world with creative services. Here, the sales figures in the shoot not only to Mercedes. Just young customers want to have a luxury vehicle of the established car manufacturer Mercedes. The requirements in terms of design, traffic and daily life are very different compared to other studios. In Beijing, among other things, the idea of an electric scooter, flying on the way was brought two years ago, which was presented at the Paris Motor Show as innovative smart version.

While in the two studios of Yokohama and Beijing the “megacity mobility” at the forefront of all Designbemühungen, it goes to something established in Carlsbad, North of San Diego. Los Angeles Auto show was gewerkelt in recent weeks with high pressure to the major project in the former Designgebäude of the Chrysler Pacifica. Each year, the Organizer calls out a design competition in which it went this year to concepts for the future a vehicle for four, which was allowed to weigh no more than 500 kilograms. Ultimately, here developed idea of particularly restorative Mercedes biomes could not inspire the judges despite the huge expense. While the electric rickshaw by Maybach from the Yokohama Studio was the probably most unusual approach to the open design competition, won the idea of an patchwork smart strollers. The smart 454 had to first place at the Los Angeles Designchallenge however share the Cadillac also very innovative proposal. Here in Carlsbad was amongst the original idea about 20 years ago of smart born. Especially the Mercedes Chief Designer Gordon Wagener comes as Springer between the design worlds always particularly happy in the Studio: “I have worked in about three years and makes me feel here very well.” “I know the people, the environment.”

So the five design studios also are different. All are working on an idea: the rejuvenation of the Daimler brand. The start has been made with the current E-class and CLS design objects and SLS. In the coming year, Mercedes brings among others his SLK models, ML, CLK, SLS Roadster and the B-class on the market. She should withdraw themselves in the future from the younger and sportier positioned a-class which will follow in 2012. By 2014, when the new S-class will celebrate its premiere as flagship, also a crossover and a new sedan as a little brother of the CLS come on the new front drive platform of B-class. Not to mention the new smart family developed technically currently with Renault-Nissan. But even more the five global design work, as it then goes to the future. An exciting opportunity for the brand with the star.