The Evolution of Luxury

This article is written in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz Malaysia.

Looking back at the past, it’s easy to imagine a mythical Golden Era where the world was simpler and life changed less. It’s true that the last 50 years has seen incredible changes in technology and society. As human beings, we never sit still. We are constantly redefining norms and pushing boundaries. At the same time, this normalisation of the milestones of the past makes it easy to overlook or dismiss truly revolutionary moments in our history, taking their impact for granted.

The introduction of anti-lock braking systems (ABS) to production cars in the 1980s marked an ambitious step forward for driver and passenger safety. Developed and pioneered by Mercedes-Benz, the first mass-production ABS system first appeared in 1978 in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, pushing the envelope of consumer expectations for luxury vehicles that gradually spread to other industry segments throughout the next decade.

We have always lived in a dynamic and disruptive world. While technology is redefining many industries, carmakers have always been at the forefront of both driving and adopting those changes. The evolution of electric and hybrid cars is one such study. Our towns and cities are changing. Rapid urban growth and high-density living have increased population densities, congestion, pollution and urban sprawl.

Creating sustainable liveable towns and cities for the 21st Century requires creative thinking and solutions, not just from policymakers and the people that live in them, but from the companies that have to imagine their products fitting into those redefined worlds. Sustainability is no longer just a consumer demand; it’s an economic imperative. Smart urban planning initiatives look set to transform the streets and the commute of the future

We’ve long looked at cars, especially luxury cars, as an escape. A way of isolating and cocooning riders from the chaos of travelling. As our cities change, so do those imperatives. Smart urban planning initiatives look set to transform the streets and the commute of the future. In the near future, city and urban grid management systems may communicate directly with our vehicles, eliminating the need for traffic lights and speed control measures, to create journeys that are efficient and smooth. Similar systems could one-day manage traffic-flow on inter-city highways and expressways.

Above and beyond national regulations, regional authorities and cities are imposing ever stricter emissions curbs on the vehicles entering their limits, emphasising the importance of both sustainability and traffic management. 2020 has also seen a necessary acceleration of trends like remote working and the 15-minute city concept that are refocusing our attention around local living.

In the longer term, working from home, or from satellite-office hubs, has the potential to free us from distant commutes to offices located in central business districts. We may even see more companies adopting a flexible approach to headquartering, perhaps one based around the requirements and location of their senior executives.

Where do luxury cars fit into a world where the ownership and use of cars is radically transformed? When we look at vehicles in a frame of comfort and build quality, it’s easy to forget that luxury is a leading edge. It’s a place where innovation is showcased, and ideas are advanced. And, as with ABS brakes, ideas that emerge in the luxury segment often go on to define the trends that spread to the wider industry.

In this context, we return to that idea of sustainability as a must: an economic imperative and a spur to innovation. The search for class-leading solutions that improve the driving and riding experience and leave less trace on the built environment. For companies like Mercedes-Benz, an historic leader in innovation, it represents an opportunity to grow those luxury segments. Electric powertrains and autonomous driving advances offer more than an opportunity to reduce the amount of CO2 and other gases released into the atmosphere. They allow us to reimagine the configuration and purpose of vehicles and their interiors.

The Maybach and Mercedes-Benz S-Class of the future may be mobile boardroom and office as much as they are luxury limousines. Utilising panoramic touch screens, integrated 5G high-speed data connections and voice-activated vehicle control systems, cars will likely double as sustainable meeting spaces that allow business leaders to seamlessly plan and discuss with their teams until the moment they reach their destination.

The search for sustainable luxury is creating new standards of interoperability and seamless working experiences. It is also reigniting our passion for unrivalled driving experiences. Advances in storage capacity and falling battery prices per kWh are increasingly making electric drivetrains the most practical and powerful solution for high performance and off-road vehicles.

For Mercedes-Benz sub-brands like AMG, these innovations represent an opportunity to intensify links to Formula 1, leveraging its technologies to push past existing limits and create some of the most jaw-dropping road cars ever made. They also represent an opportunity to redefine the image of SUVs and off-roaders as environmentally unfriendly giants. Electrified, the future of vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz G-Class is quiet, comfortable, capable, and green.

Of course, for a company to be sustainable and profitable in the long-term requires more than the development of a powertrain with the right credentials. It requires a top-to-bottom reorganisation of the way cars are made and the company is structured. For Mercedes-Benz this means developing innovations such as an electric-first architecture built around an intelligent platform strategy that optimises investment and minimises costs.

In an upstart economy, there is often a tendency to praise disruption and dismiss experience. Many of the companies that dominate today’s business and social landscape didn’t exist 20 years ago. And while disruption is a useful tool to induce change and speed innovation, when it comes to luxury, experience is critical. Sustainability is vital.

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