“Cars are fashion. They stopped being modes of transportation a long time ago,” said Angus MacKenzie, editor in chief of Motor Trend magazine.
MacKenzie was one of the participants in a roundtable discussion Wednesday morning, sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, at the Bryant Park Tents entitled “Driven by Design.”
Other panelists were women’s wear and bridal designer, Monique Lhuillier and director of passenger car design for Mercedes Car Group, Hans-Dieter Futschik. The discussion sought to connect the automotive and fashion industries through an ever-increasing demand for luxury goods as well as through the power of brand identity.
“They [cars] are items of thorough styling and brand perception,” said MacKenzie. “It’s just like a fashion business, it’s aspirational. Why do people want a Benz instead of a Ford? It’s the same psychology at work. BMW or Mercedes? Prada or Dolce & Gabbana? It’s the same emotional connection.”
To Lhuillier, the connection is also immediately apparent. “The Mercedes-Benz and Monique Lhuillier customer is the same,” she said. “Someone who appreciates luxury, style. Someone who is not always about trends but good design.”
The beginning of the discussion focused on the design processes of both cars and clothes. Where Lhuillier claimed it takes her three months to see a sketch come to life, Futschik explained he spends about five years seeing a Mercedes-Benz to completion, from the two years he spends designing to the three years he spends on the producing end. “We have to think very carefully about what we do,” he said. “We have to make sure the car will be a success.” Futschik is apparently doing something right: 2006 was the company’s strongest year, achieving an all time sales record of 248,080 new vehicles and completing its 13th consecutive year of sales growth.
MacKenzie explained that putting a new car on the market costs between $500 million and $1 billion. “It stays on the market for four to eight years,” he added. “If you get it wrong, you have to contemplate your mistakes for an awfully long time.”
Futschik said Mercedes-Benz made sure to be on the forefront of fashion (it’s the title sponsor of New York Fashion Week) by opening a satellite design studio in Como, Italy, near Milan. “We wanted to be in the presence of current trends in fashion and incorporate it into our work,” he said. Other satellite offices are based in Los Angeles and Tokyo.
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As for the global customer, the panel members said there are differences depending on the product.
“I’ve always found that good design translates across different cities,” said Lhuillier. “A bestseller is generally universal.” However in terms of cars, MacKenzie explained more differences exist across borders. “White cars only sell in Los Angeles or the Middle East,” he said. “No one buys white cars in New York or Europe, but if you go to the Middle East, you see a lot of white Rolls Royces or Maybachs.”