Peter Pfeiffer picks pension, pockets a packet

Professor Peter Pfeiffer, design chief for Mercedes-Benz, is retiring this year. The 40-year veteran will be succeeded by Gorden Wagener, current head of the company's Strategic Advanced Design department, overseeing studios in California and Japan.

Professor Pfeiffer has seen the good and the bad during his time with the company. He was at the helm for the design of the smart fortwo and the Maybach limousine, but also introduced the current Mercedes corporate look with the W221 S-Class, launched in 2005.

He began his career at Ford in 1963, but left to work at Mercedes-Benz five years later.

"Good design is not only about creating beautiful and fascinating individual products. It is also about more exactly defining the automobiles' nature," the designer said.

"In using this new design style, we underline the typical features of today's Mercedes models -- for example, confidence, definitely a trait distinguishing our technically sophisticated vehicles."

The traits the Professor pioneered in the S-Class are now present in the CL coupe, the C-Class, the SL and all MB SUV models.

His replacement, Gorden Wagener is 39 years old and has worked with Mercedes-Benz since 1997. He led the team that developed the F 700 concept vehicle revealed recently at the Frankfurt Motor Show (more here) and has been responsible for the entire current generation of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars, other than the S-Class, CL and SL models.

"Gorden Wagener will continue the successful work of Professor Peter Pfeiffer," said Dr. Thomas Weber, member of the Daimler Board of Management.

"He was involved to a considerable degree in developing the design of the passenger car models currently on the market, and will lead the Mercedes design into the future with his new and creative ideas."

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