The path leading from the first drawing to the model
approval takes around three years. In this time a Mercedes
goes through an endless series of work steps in the course
of which the designers, so to say, grope their way little
by little to the final vehicle. From previously competing
drafts, the team produces the next generation of a
Mercedes-Benz.
1. Drawing/Rendering: at the beginning of the design
process there is always a drawing - hand-sketched on a
piece of paper, or on a screen. Ideas that had previously
only existed in the designer's mind become visible.
2. Package: the basis for every design is the package, the
sum of all the technical requirements. This is the basis
upon which the sketches have to be implemented in such a
way that proportions, dimensions and lines give a
harmonious image.
3. 1:4 clay model: not everything can be simulated on the
computer, which is why the next step is to create a clay
model of every variant of a new automobile. Only then can
the designers decide whether their drafts create the
desired effect in three dimensions, too. At the same time
virtual models are always created on the computer.
4. Model selection: the final form of the new car is chosen
from numerous variants, in order to be formally examined in
a 1:1 scale. With the help of scanning and milling machines
the first full-size "prototypes" are made.
5. 1:1 model: all the individual details of the new model
are fashioned by hand. A deceptively real-looking model is
created. All the characteristic features of the new car
reveal themselves.
6. Interior sketches: first drawings and renderings are
created for the design of the interior. This is when the
different equipment lines are born, i.e. the interiors
where the future driver has to feel at ease. The leit motif
here: "Perfect aesthetics" - a design that feels
committed to beauty.
7. Interior clay model: the best way for the designer to
experience the development of the form is with a 1-in-1
clay model, built, so to say, from the inside out. All the
details are modelled until an aesthetically top-quality
spatial feeling is created. As a rule, three alternative
interiors are built for a decision to be made.
8. Colour & trim / operating and display concept (control
and display system): the material and colour options for
the vehicle interior are determined. From hundreds of
fabric and leather samples as well as a virtually endless
colour spectrum the equipment variants for the future motor
vehicle are determined. All the control and display
elements are designed and developed to the optimum.
9. Interior data control model: all the materials and
colours are tested for effect on sophisticated 1-in-1
interior models under "real-life conditions".
Every material and every colour receives a code and is
specified.
10. Final model: the exterior and the interior with all
their details are brought together to make a model. A
deceptively realistic representation is created. All the
characteristic features of the new car reveal themselves.
The exterior shape of the future Mercedes-Benz model
becomes tangible.
11.Model approval:The final point of every design process
is the model approval by the Board. If this is successful,
there is nothing more to stop the production of the new
Mercedes-Benz.