For decades, we defined luxury cars by the quality of the materials and how well they were screwed together. The engines were also a major selling point since the large-displacement ones were typically reserved for the flagship models. In 2025, automakers playing in the upper echelon try to one-up each other with jumbo-sized displays, clever software, and other gadgets. But Mercedes concedes a luxury car shouldn’t revolve around screens.
In a candid interview with ABC News, the man in charge of design at the three-pointed star conceded that “screens are not luxury.” Gorden Wagener knows that cramming as many displays into a dashboard is not even a novelty nowadays, as “every car has a big screen.” Bear in mind that this comes from the Chief Design Officer of a company that made a big deal about the 56-inch, triple-display “Hyperscreen” in cars like the EQS.
Mercedes knows it must improve in other areas to live up to the prestige gained in its heydays: “So we have to create luxury beyond the screen. That’s why I talk about craftsmanship and sophistication. There’s so much emphasis on making vehicles better.” Wagener also admitted there’s an issue that needs to be addressed regarding supersized screens:
“From the software side, it hasn’t been that good. Because when you have a big screen, you want to have great content on it. So we’re working on content that is more specific and more entertaining.”
The Hyperscreen is not going away. In 2026, the S-Class will undergo a mid-cycle facelift with a “major upgrade,” including inheriting the screen layout from the EQS. The current model already has a large center display, but the Stuttgart-based marque is keen to align its range-topping combustion car with its flagship EV.
Several issues result from the obsession with screens, including how dashboards become fingerprint magnets. The typically thick display bezels are not flattering, especially in a luxury car. Oversized screens usually kill physical switchgear by cramming access to most functions inside the infotainment. That eliminates high-quality controls adorning the dashboard, which many of us would prefer over touchscreens. As a side note, another pet peeve I have is the exaggerated reliance on ambient lighting to class things up, which turns the interior of a high-end car into a 1990s nightclub.
Asked whether artificial intelligence can lend a helping hand with car design, Wagener was brutally honest: “You get 99% of crap with AI.” However, it’s constantly improving, so much so that Mercedes’ design chief projects AI will do the heavy lifting a decade from now: ” I think in 10 years maybe most of the design will be done by AI, and it will make designers obsolete. My successor will be a machine and will be much cheaper than my salary.”