Wagener’s response was to develop what he termed “sensual purity”, a design philosophy introduced in 2009 that aimed to create models that would appeal to “both your head and heart”. The approach prioritised clean surfaces, sculptural forms and reduced visual complexity in a marked departure from the angular, heavily detailed designs that had characterised Mercedes’ core models in previous decades.

“We don’t want to be conservative any more,” Wagener explained in 2019. “Mercedes has to be emotional. You have to fall in love with the car before you even sit in it.”

The zenith of this design lineage is arguably the AMG GT sports car, which Wagener has frequently cited as his most cherished design. “Sports cars were always my favourite design projects,” he said. “The GT is pure emotion and fascination; that is what makes the GT so special for me.”

Wagener is also credited with a long line of flamboyant Mercedes concept cars, the final of which, the art deco-inspired Vision Iconic, was revealed in Shanghai in October. This previewed the bold new design language set to be adopted by future key production models, including the upcoming electric C-Class and E-Class saloons, due out in 2026 and 2027 respectively.

Born in Essen in 1968, Wagener studied industrial design at the University of Duisburg-Essen before specialising in transportation design at London’s Royal College of Art. His career began with stints at Volkswagen, Mazda and General Motors before he joined Mercedes in 1997 as a transportation designer working under its then design boss, Bruno Sacco.

His rise through the ranks was rapid. By 1999, he was managing exterior and interior styling for the R-Class, ML and GL. In 2002, he moved to passenger car development, overseeing design for the A-Class, B-Class, C-Class, E-Class, CLK, CLS and McLaren SLR. A brief transfer to Mercedes’ advanced design studio in California in 2006 preceded his 2007 promotion to director of design strategy and global advanced design.