His rise through the Mercedes-Benz design ranks was rapid. By 1999, he was managing exterior and interior styling for the R-class, ML-class and GL-class models. In 2002, he moved to passenger car development, overseeing design for the A-, B-, C-, E-, CLK-, CLS-class and the SLR developed in partnership with McLaren. A brief transfer to Mercedes-Benz’s Advanced Design studio in California in 2006 preceded his 2007 promotion to Director of Design Strategy and Global Advanced Design.
When he assumed overall leadership, Wagener broke decisively with long time Mercedes-Benz tradition and processes. His predecessors, Karl Wilfert, Friedrich Geiger, Bruno Sacco and Peter Pfeiffer, had all trained as engineers. Wagener was the first pure designer to lead Mercedes-Benz design, a distinction those who worked under him say enabled the “sensual purity” shift he would champion.
If one car exemplified Wagener’s impact, it was the CLS – a model that brought the four-door coupe that gave Mercedes a sleeker, more desirable model to sell alongside its more conservative saloons. From there, the brief widened with similarly styled models such as the A- and CLA-class to chase younger buyers. Other key models designed under his leadership include the SLS (with its gullwing doors) and the current G-class.
Elevated to the Mercedes-Benz board in 2016 as chief design officer, Wagener oversaw design for all Mercedes-Benz Group brands, including Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach, Mercedes-Benz Vans, the EQ electric sub-brand and Smart. His remit extended beyond cars: he has led design teams on helicopters, luxury yachts, and most recently, the Mercedes-Benz Places residential towers in Dubai and Miami.
