With the onset of EVs, AVs and AI, exterior design is in a real state of flux. Aerodynamics seems to have been pushed up the hierarchy but alongside an increasing appetite for unique, futuristic designs that feel in-line with a battery-powered vehicle that can in certain situations drive itself. It is becoming quite the juggling act.

At Mercedes, the man tasked with leading exterior design is Achim Badstübner, who joined from Audi in 2013 and has had a hand in models like the GLE and CLA. Car Design News took the opportunity to sit down with him during the Munich-based Car Design Event to talk all things exteriors, hiring and how the role of the designer is evolving.

We have heard a growing narrative from some OEMs that cars are being designed from the inside out. As an exterior designer, does this resonate with you?

I don’t really agree with that thinking, personally. It is a bit of a marketing angle. In a way it is true because you do have a package to work with – you need to know where the steering wheel is, how much space you have to play with – so you have to start with the technical things. But you don’t necessarily start with the instrument panel. If you look at our EQS with the Hyperscreen, of course the screen is a major part of the design but we didn’t start with that and build everything around it. The interior is a very early input and one aspect, but not the jumping off point.

The approach will vary from brand to brand, I suppose, but yes – the exterior is usually what draws you in.

Exterior is…