Mercedes-Benz design boss Gorden Wagener has resigned after almost a decade in the role and nearly 30 years with the world’s oldest automaker, officially handing over the reins on January 31, 2026.
The premium German auto brand confirmed Mr Wagener’s departure in a statement, saying the 57-year-old made the decision to step down after joining the company in 1997 as a Royal College of Art graduate.
Head of Mercedes-AMG design Bastian Baudy, 41, will take over as Head of Design at Mercedes-Benz.
“Now feels like the right moment to close this chapter and move on to something new,” Mr Wagener wrote on his Instagram account.
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“Together, we defined an era – driven by courage, creativity, and a radical modernisation of design.
“The future for the next decade has already been designed, allowing me to pass Mercedes-Benz on with confidence.”
Mr Wagener’s resignation comes just days after JLR (Jaguar Land Rover) denied reports it had terminated Gerry McGovern from his role as chief creative officer, while also refusing to confirm his ongoing tenure.
German rivals BMW and Audi have also seen recent design leadership changes, with Massimo Frascella appointed Audi chief creative officer in mid-2024.
Mr Wagener began his career under legendary designer Bruno Sacco, who oversaw the look of late 20th-century Mercedes-Benz models including the 190 (W210), as well as multiple S-Class and SL-Class generations.
His portfolio includes the 2007 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, after which he became the youngest head of design in the brand’s history at just 39 years old.
“Gorden Wagener has shaped the identity of our brands with his visionary design philosophy,” said Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius in a statement.
“Over many years, he has made a decisive contribution ensuring that our innovative products are synonymous with unique aesthetics worldwide. His creativity and his sense for the future of automotive design have sustainably enriched Mercedes-Benz.”
Mr Wagener introduced a design philosophy he described as ‘sensual purity’, moving Mercedes-Benz away from a conservative era towards a bolder, more contemporary design language.
Unlike many of his predecessors who were trained engineers, including Mr Sacco, Mr Wagener studied at the University of Duisburg-Essen before attending the Royal College of Art in London.
He said the approach was intended to produce vehicles that appealed to “both your head and your heart”, shifting perceptions of Mercedes-Benz being seen as ‘an old man’s car’.
The strategy proved successful in attracting younger buyers, with Mr Wagener responsible for designs such as the A-Class (W176) hatch and the W222 S-Class luxury sedan.
Mr Wagener also worked on models including the B-Class, C-Class, E-Class, CLK and the second-generation (less polarising) CLS sedan and wagon.
The German-born designer led the high-profile designs of the first-generation 2014 Mercedes-AMG GT – a bona fide Porsche 911 rival – as well as the Formula 1-inspired AMG One supercar and concepts including the Vision One-Eleven.
He also modernised the expanding G-Class off-roader lineup and oversaw the introduction of newer SUVs including the GLE-Class and CLC-Class, though his more recent EQE and EQS electric models attracted criticism and were met with slow sales in China.
Mr Wagener previously said the EQS sedan, introduced in 2021, struggled due to marketing and positioning rather than design, claiming it was “10 years too early”.
Following negative feedback, Mercedes-Benz vice president of vehicle development, Christoph Starzynski, said the brand would shift its overall design direction towards the 2023 CLA concept.
Mercedes-Benz is now moving away from having specific designs for its EQ-badged electric vehicles, and will instead adopt a unified styling approach across all of its models, whether they electric or combustion-powered, in response to market feedback and in order to strengthen its brand identity.
Mr Wagener previously criticised Mercedes-Benz’s plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) in vehicle design, arguing that AI-generated concepts were repetitive, boring and annoying.
“It creates 99 per cent of s*&$ solutions that are really ugly or weird or are not brand-specific. And yeah, one per cent interesting stuff.”