Today, October 14, Mercedes-Benz celebrated the world premiere of the Vision Iconic in Shanghai. A showcar that celebrates the brand’s history and future alike, and offers less of a glimpse of a specific production model, but rather the next level of the Mercedes-Benz design philosophy. Chapter was on site when Chief Design Officer Gorden Wagener showed how craftsmanship, technology and aesthetics combine to create a new vision of the iconic.
The venue for the premiere of the latest Mercedes-Benz Vision Car was very deliberately chosen: Shanghai — a city characterized by architectural contrasts, between Art Deco heritage and a futuristic skyline. A fitting analogy to the Vision Iconic, which combines tradition and future into an exciting form—inspired by Art Deco and the golden age of automotive design in the 1930s.
For Chief Designer Gorden Wagener, the Vision Iconic embodies the pure essence of Mercedes-Benz: »With its seemingly hood giving it a majestic presence, sculptural flowing lines, and a touch of Art Deco, it rises to become a true icon of automotive beauty. Our Vision Iconic is more than just an automobile—it is a sculpture in motion, a homage to timeless elegance, and a statement for the future. The symbiosis of traditional craftsmanship, state-of-the-art technology, and an unmistakable design language makes it the ultimate expression of value, prestige, and grace: the most beautiful, most prestigious kind of thing«, he explained at the world premiere.
Figure of light
The front of the Vision Iconic is defined by the reinterpreted Mercedes grille, which will powerfully illuminate the brand identity in the future. The classic chrome frame remains, but its surfaces in the Vision Iconic are permeated by smoked glass, fine light contours and an illuminated star on the hood. According to Mercedes-Benz chief designer Gorden Wagener, it is intended to be a forward-looking homage to the traditional chrome grille that has shaped the face of Mercedes-Benz for over 100 years.
Flowing lines, a deep black high-gloss finish and narrow headlights with the latest lighting technology enhance the elegant appearance, which is particularly defined by the elongated hood. In doing so, Mercedes-Benz takes up a core idea of the brand’s design philosophy of »Sensual Purity«: The Mercedes-typical »sensuality« does not arise from complexity, but from the interplay of clear, flowing lines, sculptural surfaces and a sometimes more, sometimes less strongly dosed opulence.
Hyper-analog Luxury Lounge
Inside, the Vision Iconic offers a glimpse of future, luxurious driving experiences: The transformation from the classic driver’s seat to a place of conscious travel and automated driving forms the basis for a new interior concept with a lounge atmosphere. A continuous bench seat made of deep blue velvet replaces the individual seats; the room appears open, calm and—one might say—almost »theatrically« staged.
The center of the interior is the so-called »Zeppelin«—a floating glass construction that combines instruments, displays and handmade details. When the door is opened, the sculpture displays a choreography inspired by high-end chronographs. Behind it, it becomes even more opulent: Here, a decorative surface unfolds from shimmering mother-of-pearl inlays, which merges into polished brass elements. These motifs, complemented by straw marquetry in the floor, in turn refer to the Art Deco of the 1920s. This can be classified as a deliberately exaggerated quote for a show car—and as an attempt to translate the concept of luxury into the present.
But how do you ensure that this interior opulence supports the brand’s design philosophy of »Sensual Purity« and does not tip over into the decorative—and how does he explore the limits here, we want to know from Gorden Wagener in an interview. »Well, it is of course also a deliberately provocative interior,« he explains, »especially because there are no screens at all—it is completely analog.« For Gorden Wagener, the message behind the hyper-analog of the vehicle is also to be understood as a counter-concept to the ubiquitous, complete digitization—and thus also a statement for long-lasting luxury instead of short-lived digital trends. A philosophy that forms the core of Mercedes-Benz’s brand philosophy.
The tension between hyper-analog reduction and opulence is therefore not intended to soften the philosophy of »Sensual Purity«, but to expand it. The controlled opulence and showcar-typical provocation give the Vision Iconic that emotional depth that Gorden Wagener has also been describing as a design philosophy for years. Beauty and intelligence should not be understood as opposites, but as mutually stabilizing forces—»Sensual Purity« as a resonance space for technology.
Technology as a design element
And in this sense, the sculptural tranquility of the Vision Iconic conceals precisely that innovative technology. Neuromorphic computing, i.e. a processor architecture based on the model of the human brain, is intended to improve the energy efficiency of autonomous systems by up to 90 percent. The »Steer-by-Wire« steering system replaces the mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the wheels, thereby allowing more freedom in the interior design.
Equally remarkable is the newly developed solar paint, whose photovoltaic-active layer is seamlessly integrated into the body. Under optimal conditions, an area of around eleven square meters could generate energy for up to 12,000 kilometers per year—an indication that form and function are merging here for the first time in the material itself.
Design, fashion and narrative
To accompany the showcar, Mercedes-Benz also presented a Capsule Collection in Shanghai—six outfits that pick up on the color and material world of the »Vision Iconic«: dark blue, silver-gold accents, clear geometric forms. The collection is intended to function as a visual translation of the idea of »Iconic Luxury«. In parallel with the premiere of the Vision Iconic, the book »Iconic Design« will also be published, documenting the new design philosophy of Mercedes-Benz, with interviews, design studies and previously unpublished visual worlds.
A statement in motion
With the Vision Iconic, the design team at Mercedes-Benz shows how iconography can be continued in a fully electric, digital future. The vehicle is not nostalgic, but deliberately ambivalent. And so the circle closes: In Shanghai, where past and future intertwine, it becomes visible that iconicity does not arise from the decision between old and new—but from their balance. [CS]
