Frank Stephenson usually doesn’t like the designs he reviews, but he had very little to criticize the EQXX for.
Mercedes-Benz revealed the EQXX as a vision of where it wants to take the brand’s design in the future. But it’s actually more than that and it is expected to go into production pretty much unchanged and according to famed car designer, Frank Stephenson, that’s a good thing.
Stephenson, whose design portfolio includes models like the BMW X5 (the first-gen E53), the original New Mini Cooper, but also the Ferrari F430, the Maserati MC12, as well as a whole slew of modern McLaren models. Nowadays he occasionally posts videos critiquing the designs of various new cars, and in this video he takes a look at the EQXX and its quite controversial look.
And he actually says he likes what he sees, even though its look doesn’t immediately strike you as being a Mercedes. Stephenson does say that Mercedes has reinvented its image several times during its history that stretches over a century, and that with the EQXX, in a way, it is returning to the philosophy of its pre-war streamlined racing cars.
Gallery: Mercedes Vision EQXX
55 Photos
Oftentimes, cars can end up looking frankly quite ugly in the quest for the best aero, but the EQXX is not one of those cars. Its flowing shapes and tapered design give it character without the need for actual character lines or creases – this is a Mercedes that we will have to get used to, but in Stephenson’s view, it is not an ugly one, just one that you need to understand in order to like.
At the time of the EQXX’s unveiling, we had the chance to ask Markus Schäfer, Mercedes Chief Operating Officer and board member what it heralds for the brand. And we actually obtained some important tidbits of information that had not been made public, so make sure to check that video out (it is embedded below).
Keyword: BMW, McLaren Designer Analyzes Mercedes EQXX Concept, Loves It