Daimler Names Wagener Chief Design Officer

Daimler AG has appointed Gorden Wagener to the newly created position of chief design officer. Wagener, 48, has headed the carmaker’s design efforts since 2008.

In his new role, Wagener will be an executive vice president. Daimler says the C-suite position will strengthen the “significance and responsibility” of design at the automaker.

After brief stints with General Motors, Mazda and Volkswagen, Wagener joined Daimler in 1997 as an interior designer for the company’s Mercedes-Benz unit. As vice president of design, Wagener implemented the so-called “Sensual Purity” design language incorporated in virtually all new Mercedes models, which CEO Dieter Zetsche credits as a key reason for the brand’s recent success.

Moving forward, Zetsche expects the design team to increasingly support Daimler's efforts to develop and integrate electric drive systems, connectivity, autonomous driving and car-sharing services into future vehicles.