The man who redefined Mercedes-Benz, Gorden Wagener, announces his departure after 30 years
Published on Dec 22, 2025 at 3:14 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Dec 22, 2025 at 3:14 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Claire Reid
It’s the end of an era at Mercedes-Benz as chief design officer Gorden Wagener has announced that he will be leaving the role at the end of next month.
Wagener joined Mercedes as a transportation designer back in 1997 and worked alongside Gordon Murray to design the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.
And that was just the start of a long and incredible career.
Now, after 28 years, he’s parting ways with the company, but has reassured car lovers that the ‘next decade has already been designed’.
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Gorden Wagener designed some of the marque’s most iconic cars
Given that one of the first major projects Gorden Wagener worked on for Mercedes-Benz was the SLR McLaren, you’d be forgiven for thinking he’d struggle to top it.
But it was just the start.
In 2008, he was made head of global design and oversaw the first-generation Mercedes-AMG GT and the W176 A-Class.
By 2016, he was in the role of chief design officer and helped to completely refresh Mercedes, modernizing the G-Wagen and updating the super-luxe Maybach models, as well as introducing cars like the Mercedes-AMG ONE.
He also worked on multiple concept cars, such as the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6, and the Vision Iconic.
But after just shy of 30 years designing for Mercedes, Wagener has announced he’ll be leaving in a few weeks.
“For nearly three decades, I had the privilege of shaping the design language and Stil des Hauses of Mercedes-Benz,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Together, we defined an era — driven by courage, creativity, and a radical modernization of design.
“Everything I set out to achieve at Mercedes-Benz has been accomplished.
“My journey with Mercedes-Benz will come to an end on January 31, 2026.
“Now feels like the right moment to close this chapter and move on to something new.
“The future for the next decade has already been designed, allowing me to pass Mercedes-Benz on with confidence.”
Mercedes-Benz has named his successor
Not only did Wagener create some of the most iconic Mercs ever built, but he wasn’t shy when it came to sharing his opinion on other carmakers’ design, including some harsh words for the Audi Concept C.
Back in September, Wagener also took aim at AI, claiming that it was ‘cr*p’.
Although he did go on to joke that one day, he might find his role obsolete thanks to artificial intelligence.
“I think in 10 years, maybe, most of design will be done by AI, and it will make designers obsolete. My successor will be a machine and will be much cheaper than my salary,” he told ABC.
However, for now at least, he’s wrong about that.
Mercedes-Benz has already announced the replacement for Wagener, and it’s not a machine, it’s current AMG lead designer Bastian Baudy.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
