| Bruno Sacco |
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Bruno Sacco - design chief 1974 - 1999
"It takes courage and imagination to set new design trends - to create the trends oneself rather than following the flow!" |
Photo: IDSA
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"With the M-Class, unveiled in early 1997, our aim was to combine the character of an elegant station wagon with the sportiness of an off-road vehicle. We were able to integrate into it the classic features of a sport utility vehicle - for example the large ground clearance, the large wheels and wheel arches, the raised seating position. We also alluded to the typical two-part silhouette. Overall, however, the lines of the M-Class are dynamic, elegant and deliberately skewed towards a sedan-type design. The aim amongst other things was to draw on traditional Mercedes elegance rather than creating 'modish' appeal with only a short life span." - Bruno Sacco |
Keynote speech to "Automotive News World Congress"
Bruno Sacco: "Innovative design for innovative engineering"
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Design philosophy an important factor in Mercedes-Benz' success
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Successful Mercedes strategy based on affinity and homogeneity
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"A Mercedes-Benz always looks like a Mercedes-Benz"
1977 W123 station wagon
"Bruno Sacco, the legendary automotive designer at DaimlerBenz, has
been responsible for every Mercedes-Benz auto, truck, bus, and car
design since 1979 (he joined Mercedes-Benz in 1958). However, one of
his earlier projects, after the C-111 Wankel-powered concept, was the
1977 W123 E-class station wagon. (Information from the March, 1999
issue of European Cars magazine, page 48)."
Das Internationale Design Zentrum Berlin würdigt die Kühnheit des Daimler-Konstrukteurs Bruno Sacco
red dot design team award
The Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen honored the Mercedes-Benz
design team headed by Bruno Sacco in 1994 with the red dot design team
of the year title. This prestigous award is given annually to teams
who continously produce innovative design work.
Bruno Sacco is the "Designer's Designer"
At the international car show in Birmingham in 1996 40 designers from
other car companies honored Bruno Sacco by voting him the "Designer's
Designer". He also received the recognition of "The Designer of the Year"
for the Mercedes-Benz models introduced in 1996. All the awards were
presented to him by Jackie Stewart, the former Formula 1 world champion.
Out of an obsession comes a great invention: The Little Big Mercedes
"Forget everything you've learned before." With these words
Mercedes-Benz chief designer Bruno Sacco greeted his Advanced Design
Team. The task was to marry the A-class sandwich concept with a
distinctive design."
The A-class is a real and substantial turning point in the design and
production philosophy of Mercedes-Benz. And this turnaround came
pre-announced, for it was preceded by clear pointers, such as the
Vision A prototype, and lengthy and careful promotion work that
commenced well before the car officially was introduced.
"This diversification", emphasises Sacco, "is underpinned by
specific intentions. It is part of a large-scale Mercedes business
offensive aimed at rejuvenating the brand image and giving the
opportunity of access to our cars to a buyer group that
heretofore didn't find the product that suited them in the range."
Was this A-class the only route available?
"I really do think it was. We stepped in with a new type of product,
something that didn't exist on the market before - the similar vehicles
present keep within the norm for technique and technology, but the
A-class expresses a different concept on all fronts."
Maybach
"The Concours d'Elegance cars seen at Pebble Beach are generally
prestige cars whose continuity has been lost. They belong to the golden
age of the automobile before the Second World War and their makers have
long since disappeared. Only the Rolls-Royce phenomenon has maintained
a clear continuity, there have been a few other sporadic examples, such
as the Mercedes 600 in the early ninteen-sixties. So the idea grew at
Pebble Beach, where a good part of the past treats the eyes and the memory
for a few hours," recounts Bruno Sacco.
C111
The revolutionary research prototypes introduced at the IAA in
Frankfurt in 1969 explored many novel concepts applied in later designs.
About design strategies. Defensive wait and see * imitation * risk taking. "Designers must be novative and willing to take risks." Example which came to mind are the "double sweep" of the CL or the new C-Class. The car "dignified as the slender athlete". It takes "courage and innovation".
Bruno Sacco has received numerous personal awards and distinctions while working for Daimler-Benz:
1981 Honorary member of the "Academia Mexicana de Diseno"
1991 "Grande Ufficiale dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana"
1993 "Cover Award -- Auto & Design", Turin
1993 "Premio Mexico 1994" - Patronato Nacional de las Asociaciones de Diseno AC, Mexico
1994 "Apulia Award for Professional Achievement"
1996 "Best Designer" award, "Car" magazine
1996 "Designer's Designer" award, "Car" magazine
1997 "Lifetime Design Achievement Award", Eyes on Design, Detroit
1997 "Lucky Strike Designer Award", Raymond Loewy Foundation
2002 Honorary doctorate from the Udine University, Italy
2006 "Automotive Hall of Fame", Dearborn, Michigan
"Every culture holds different values" and "must show its inheritance".
"More than fullfilling technical functionalities."
About the S600 W140 S-Class: "A large car fits a large country." (USA)
"Vertical affinity: A customer does not feel like he drives an outdated car."
"Horizontal affinity: The C-, E- and S-Class of 1994, the trunk sill of the E 300 series, and W140 of 1993 are all homogeneous."
"With the AAV in 1997 we used the design language of the sedan, creating a longterm design, rather than a short term special impact."
The CLK (208) is a "design that symbolizes movement." (He used to drive a red CLK cabrio, but more recently acquired a black 560 SEC.)
"A Mercedes should always look like a Mercedes and symbolize all the values of a true Mercedes, convey innovation and respect tradition."
"Sacco meets Wright"
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written in November 2001 and updated from time to time
| Designed like no other car in the world. |