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" Mercedes unveiled the new 2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class today, creating a more upscale and refined big brother to the entry-level CLA, and whose elegant design brings it closer to the S-Class than ever before. We caught up with Mercedes&amp;#039; head of global design, Gorden Wagener, to talk about what the new model means for the brand, how he keeps his designers fresh, and how his fondest childhood car memory affects his daily work.  &amp;quot;The inspiration [for the new C-class] comes from Pebble Beach and the Concours d&amp;#039;Elegance,&amp;quot; Wagener said in a recent phone interview. &amp;quot;We were inspired by the cars of the &amp;#039;30s, the most glorious decade of car design with its Art Deco streamlined design.&amp;quot;  This inspiration is evident in the dramatic new character line of the car, a stark contrast to the previous model. Whereas the outgoing car features a line that starts just behind the front wheel well and shoots upward and back toward the rear decklid, creating a wedge shape, the new design features a line that begins within the headlight and drops as it crosses the body toward the rear, picking up again at the bottom edge of the rear taillight and continuing around the vehicle. A similar line can be found in the brand&amp;#039;s flagship S-Class Sedan, making a clear statement that Mercedes is pushing this C-Class upscale.  &amp;quot;The core of our design philosophy is sensual purity,&amp;quot; Wagener says. &amp;quot;We wanted to create something different. The dropping line strengthens the proportions of a rear-drive car. It visually lengthens the hood and drops toward the rear wheel. It sits on the rear wheel well.&amp;quot;  This design language is a shift away from the wedge-shaped cars of the previous generation. &amp;quot;Wedge shapes have been around since the late &amp;#039;90s,&amp;quot; Wagener notes. &amp;quot;Still, you sometimes need a wedge shape on smaller cars, but we believe it&amp;#039;s a little forced and not as dynamic.&amp;quot;  In this new language, the team ensures that all the design elements are integrated. Each line flows into another to make the cars feel modern and clean but also more sculptural in order to drive an emotional reaction from buyers.  &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;re moving out of a very generic generation of cars that just had additive volumes,&amp;quot; he says. &amp;quot;Here, we blend all the elements together. There aren&amp;#039;t just additive forms on top of each other.&amp;quot;   One reason the team needed to create a more upscale C-Class is the introduction of its baby brother, the angrier CLA. &amp;quot;We vary the language from the very expressive CLA, which features more sharp lines, more aggressive features,&amp;quot; Wagener says of the differences between the two vehicles. Of the C-Class, he says that the design is &amp;quot;\u2026a more emotional expression of the design philosophy, more of a beautiful sculpture with a single line\u2014the dropping line.&amp;quot;  One of the most drastic changes to the new C-Class is the car&amp;#039;s interior, which has finally shed its cold, rigid Bauhaus-ian box structure for a more inviting, sculptural cabin that reflects the design of the exterior.  &amp;quot;The interior even more defines the modern luxury of our philosophy,&amp;quot; Wagener says. He notes that designing interiors is a far different task than exteriors. The space has to feel comfortable, not overwhelming. Because of this, he says, &amp;quot;...only a third of the design [of the exterior] is seen in the basic shape of the interior\u2014but the right proportion still has to come together.&amp;quot;  Interior design is all about the details. While the exterior of the C-Class prides itself on its simplicity, the interior is chock-full of high-tech gadgets demanded by drivers in this category but with enough analog elements to ensure a level of comfort.  &amp;quot;We chose a big center console\u2014a typical element for sporty cars,&amp;quot; says Wagener. &amp;quot;We have the big, round vents that embody sportiness, value, and quality.&amp;quot;  Mercedes designers wanted to meet the demands for high tech without sacrificing safety, moving the display to a free-floating screen above the dash. Rather than a touchscreen, the entire system is operated by a touchpad placed where the driver would typically find a shift knob.  &amp;quot;We chose a touchpad, like one you&amp;#039;re familiar with on a laptop, because the touchscreen is not a good solution while you&amp;#039;re moving,&amp;quot; Wagener says of the system. &amp;quot;You need to look at the street, so we raised the free-floating screen.&amp;quot;  Wagener was appointed Mercedes design chief at the age of 39, one of the youngest ever in the industry, as a clear statement that the brand was ready to shed its geriatric perception. Now 45, he discusses the ways he&amp;#039;s been able to infuse new life into the German luxury brand and how he keeps things fresh.  &amp;quot;You have to live an inspired life,&amp;quot; he says of being a designer. &amp;quot;We have a very young and creative team; that wasn&amp;#039;t the case five years ago when I took over.&amp;quot;   Leading a young team has led to far more daring designs from Mercedes, including the CLA, the Vision GT concept shown at the 2014 LA Auto Show, and now, the new C-Class. Wagener now sees more portfolios from young designers who want to join the team than ever before, and he feels encouraged about where the brand is headed.  &amp;quot;We have the trust of the board of management,&amp;quot; he says proudly. &amp;quot;We have very brave solutions. At the moment, we&amp;#039;re the company with the biggest freedom in design.&amp;quot;  As for his own inspiration, Wagener started out like most of us, with an unexplainable fascination with cars. When asked about his fondest car memory, his smile could be heard on the other end of the line.  &amp;quot;Oh, gosh,&amp;quot; he started. &amp;quot;It was probably my dad&amp;#039;s car. He had a 230. I always remember as a little kid, that car had so much presence. Of course, he was driving a Mercedes. The car was always standing there, so self-assured. It was such a nice car.&amp;quot;  It&amp;#039;s clear that the youthful breath of fresh air seen in the Mercedes brand is driven by Wagener, a man who to this day still carries his childhood awe of cars.  &amp;quot;Little boys are so fascinated by cars,&amp;quot; he says. &amp;quot;In fact, it&amp;#039;s not so different than what we do today, except, you know, on a much bigger scale. It&amp;#039;s so important to keep that fascination. It&amp;#039;s the best job in the world, when you think about it.&amp;quot;  Of the new C-Class, Wagener is proud of what the team was able to accomplish in its new design but called out its proportion as the most difficult yet most satisfying outcome of the process.  &amp;quot;Proportion is the most important part of a design, especially moving into purity and cleanliness here,&amp;quot; he says of their new design language. &amp;quot;Everything has to be in the right place because you&amp;#039;re not camouflaging with more lines and extra stuff. The balance of proportion here is close to perfection.&amp;quot;  &amp;quot;What we came up with is nothing we&amp;#039;ve seen in the class before,&amp;quot; Wagener says, summing up the new C-Class: &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s one class higher.&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/a6281/2015-mercedes-benz-c-class-design/>