Bruno Sacco’s theory that only the combination of bold innovation and brand-loyal design could lead to a trendsetting and durable product was confirmed – as with the Mercedes-Benz compact class – with the arrival of the A-Class (W 168) in 1996. The risks involved in designing this entirely innovative four-door vehicle with tailgate and positioned below the C-Class could only have been taken by a brand with the self-confidence of Mercedes-Benz. The new A-Class reflected innovative technology in avant-garde form. It was packed with detailed solutions that were pioneering – both stylistically and functionally.

The unusual ratio between vehicle length and height permitted unique flexibility in the interior. Design of the front and rear sections reinforced the car’s youthful aspect. The double underfloor was capable of accommodating a variety of different drive systems of the future. And above and beyond the many practical individual features of the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class, the car’s overall appearance exuded warmth and charm. In the closing years of the millennium the A-Class was a testament to the courage of those responsible for the brand to steer a wholly new course in terms of technology and design. It actively relayed the message to the public that Mercedes-Benz stood at the dawn of a new age.

The S-Class of 1998 (W 220) was to prove Bruno Sacco’s great valedictory. He made it the brand’s innovation-bearer – a silky, elegant, well-trained athlete. The traditional front section with integrated bumper turned the sedan into a sculpture. The windshield and rear screen were more slanting than had previously been the case and gave the sedan a lower, leaner appearance. The muscular image of the new S-Class added a new dimension to the internationally prized Mercedes charisma. Far from alienating through arrogance, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class exuded confidence and individuality. It achieved a new quality of distinguished automotive self-assurance.

In March 1999 Bruno Sacco took retirement. But the spirit of the first real design strategist of the Mercedes-Benz brand continued to inhabit the design department. Bruno Sacco’s successor on the tightrope between innovation and brand tradition is now Peter Pfeiffer. He carries forward the trendsetter role of Mercedes-Benz design in a period marked by an exploding diversity of innovations. Increasing individualization now calls for innovative automotive concepts in ever shorter cycles. In the last ten years alone Mercedes-Benz model diversity has almost tripled. The major new task facing Peter Pfeiffer, therefore, is not simply to create new trends that carry the Mercedes-Benz brand across short-term fashion currents. His goal is to forge ahead into new dimensions of mobility, as represented by the successful new spatial concepts in the shape of the Mercedes-Benz B- and R-Class. But the historic challenge goes further. It is about casting a single image of the Mercedes-Benz brand face capable of capturing its increasing complexity. “We are still a long way from reaching our limits,” said Peter Pfeiffer, awakening expectations that Mercedes-Benz design will continue to play its influential trendsetting role for the automotive industry as a whole.