"Back to basics": Mercedes balances form and function with new EQC

This year's IAA in Munich brought with it various launches on both the production and concept car front. One of those included the new Mercedes GLC, which for the first time is available with a fully electric powertrain. Away from the busy show floor, Car Design News grabbed some time with head of exterior design Robert Lesnik to learn more about that beaming new grille but also to discuss a few broader trends in the world of design. 

Car Design News: Lighting seems to be a key element to the design of this electric GLC.

Robert Lesnik: One of the key elements, definitely. We said some six or seven years ago that for the first generation we want to differentiate, and electric would look different on purpose. But the world is a little bit different than we all thought it was going to be. So the new electric GLC is more or less where the combustion engine GLC is in terms of its proportion, volume, stance, the size of the wheels and the height in the front. The GLC is a top seller, so this electric version is an additional offering in this segment. 

CDN: So this is a very significant car for you. 

RL: Of course, and we believe that electric mobility has reached a level where there is probably no real range anxiety anymore. Things are changing, so there's no real reason to not go for a car like this. 

So in terms of the design, it is no longer One Bow, cab-forward and stuff like this. And with the grille, we want to show more height, more status and more road presence, which Mercedes has always had. 

CDN: And what about that new grille, described in the press release as "illuminated high tech artwork"... 

RL: In our design studio there is what we call a "grille gallery" which documents all our grilles right from 1902. It's interesting how the proportion has changed over the years; the current one is kind of low and wide and in primary colour, but if you look at all those old grilles, the mesh where little holes are stamped out so tightly that from 10 metres away you would think it's solid silver. It's like an optical illusion. That was the inspiration for the grille that we have on the GLC now. 

So we have actually two options. One is silver shadow — chrome galvanised, no paint — and the other one is dark chrome which looks a little meaner and sportier for the AMG-line. But the base grille is silver, which I think is the main differentiation. The shape is typical Mercedes with the lamella, the peak in the centre, giving it three dimensionality. 

For us it is a differentiator and makes us stand out from the crowd, but it's not retro. We didn't take an old grille from the wall and put it on the new GLC. It's done in a different way and is really a high tech piece. There are these little pixels that stick out half a mm or so, which gives it a three-dimensional feel. I always say Mercedes is about the second read. First is the proportions, and then you discover little details over time. 

CDN: I noticed some of the press images showcase it alongside an Airstream caravan. Any particular reason for that — a metaphor for aerodynamics? 

RL: Actually no not really. This is more to showcase the towing capability, which is enormous. And then it's a question of which caravan do you want to show in pictures? You take the best looking one that stands out. Of course, I can see why this might make you think about aerodynamics as well... The GLC has a Cd value of 0.26 which is pretty good for this type of car, by the way. 

CDN: What's your favourite element of the new GLC, Robert?

RL: Honestly, it is probably that grille because it's so new. But although everybody thinks the front end is the most important, I personally think it's the rear three-quarter view. It's an area where we designers have the greatest freedom to shape something, whereas at the front there are [considerations such as] pedestrian protection. I think what we've achieved from that sense with this car is good, and shows that with a Mercedes we don't need many lines. 

CDN: That illuminated grille is what catches the eye though. It's a different approach to what we saw with the EQS for example which was smooth and body coloured. 

RL: We experimented with our electric cars in the last generation. We took all the chrome in the front out and had black. At the end, it was just not typical Mercedes. Others in the market are also taking chrome out, and for them maybe this is okay. But we are putting it back in and now think about the integration of light. We also have the central star that is illuminated since the CLA for first time, which was pretty tricky to achieve. We want to differentiate ourselves. 

CDN: How is it being a designer in this electric era? The playing field has levelled out a bit in terms of technology, so does that make design the differentiator now?

RL: It's interesting. Seven years ago we thought electric mobility would come faster than it has. Designers thought this new technology could have different proportions and everyone said, 'yeah, let's go for it and try new things.' But we found that it's just not necessary to have everything a cab forward, 5.2 metre car. Maybe it's going to be like this somewhere in the future — maybe we were all too early or whatever — but everybody gave it a go. Now, everybody's stepped back a little bit back. For example, yesterday, we showed that we've listened to customers' feedback and we have buttons and rollers again in the interior.

Sometimes you are shown new technology and you go for it, but maybe later on you realise it was not so much an improvement on before. Then you have to be honest and say: let's see if we can learn something or take the best elements from this and go back a little bit. It's not a bad thing. With all new things, you learn. This is exactly why we are getting rid of this black panel grille from the EQS, for example, and putting the chrome back in. And with the capacitive sensors in the steering wheel.

CDN: So this modern era has given you a chance to play around and really try things. I don't want to put words in your mouth, but is the thinking now perhaps about going back to basics?

RL: Exactly. We tried something that was technologically possible, learned what was feasible, and have progressed from that. Things should not just look good, they should also be functional, so that's why we are bringing back some more mechanical, analogue elements — although they were never gone completely, even with the Hyperscreen.  

CDN: And finally, do you have any advice for students looking to break into the world of car design? 

RL: I come from Slovenia originally, and when I was studying at Pforzheim in the 90s we had eight people in one semester. This is not much competition. Today, nobody's in a semester with eight people. It is a completely different time. There is more competition, but also more possibilities. You can go to places that did not exist when I was studying. In China, there are completely new opportunities. 

CDN: But what can people do to stand out? What would you like to see if you were hiring?

RL: We very often talk with young people and very often they try something and if it doesn't work out, they move on to the next thing. Often when you interview young people today, they are not huge petrolheads, they want to give it a try because they saw a tutorial on YouTube that looked cool. With young people it's very seldom to find these petrolheads, they're just not super passionate about it for most people. So this is the first thing: your mindset. You have to prove that passion, and not just with nice sketches. I failed three times before I got my first in car design. So be passionate and stick with it.