Lucid Air and Mercedes S-Class, Two Very Different Design Philosophies

It has been an interesting week in the world of luxury car interior design and execution, with the unveiling of two products with two very different design philosophies.

The Lucid Air debuts with muted tones, matte finishes, and premium fabrics to give the interior a sleek and modern appearance. The color and materials palette is reminiscent of contemporary luxury hotels and high-end modern furniture. The design execution is reminiscent of premium consumer electronics. At this end of the market when component cost is not an issue, it's easy to overdo the design and end up gilding the lily. The Lucid team have avoided this trap, choosing instead to pursue clean lines, simple forms, and the avoidance of visual clutter. There is an abundant feeling of calm.

The new Mercedes S-Class has much more initial visual impact: high gloss surfaces, jeweled speaker meshes, quilting and stitching galore. It’s conspicuously expensive-looking. But does this make for a more premium or successful design? Isn't a feeling of calm the ultimate luxury?

Clearly, there is a market for high-impact design that invokes a “wow”, and it will be interesting to see if this design philosophy persists, or if we will see customer preferences change in the direction of the calm simplicity that the Lucid exudes. I'm reminded of Sam Livingstone's excellent article on this topic.

Whilst the color, materials, and finishes do much of the talking, working in design execution for so long my eye is immediately drawn to some of the details that nag me: the very slightly off-center air vents (a hat-tip to the W140?), the plastic side view mirror air outlet in the top pad, the plastic glove box release handle, and the busy seam and cut lines around the center vents and head-up display. The instrument panel is tall: there’s a lot of visual bulk that is difficult to disguise, often inherent with internal combustion vehicles (and the need to push HVAC systems into the cabin area). Will these details matter to most customers? Probably not, but these are all design challenges that needed just a bit more love, in my humble opinion.

What a contrast to years past, when German design was renowned for having a focus on simplicity, ergonomics, premium materials and high quality, and American vehicles were all about glamour and design razzmatazz.