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Video: Exploring the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class

To coincide with the announcement that its new C-Class has entered production, Mercedes-Benz has released a video exploring its design. Featuring design chief Gordon Wagener and other key members of the team, the video explains where their inspiration came from and how they experimented with proportions during its development. While the dropping bodyside feature line is a key element of the exterior, it's also found inside the C-Class, where the typical Mercedes sports car interior is combined with the floating, vertical center console.

Whos Where: Ken Okuyama appointed Creative Director at Pininfarina

The talented Japanese designer Ken Okuyama, who penned the Pininfarina Enzo and 'Rossa' during his days at Pininfarina Studi e Ricerche, is going back to the famous Italian coachbuilder, after completing his experience as Chair of the Transportation Design Department at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He is expected back as Creative Director of the Pininfarina Spa group as of May 10th. There he will be reporting, as before his departure, to Lorenzo Ramaciotti, Executive Vice President Design .

Mercedes CLA Detroit debut & CLA45 AMG at Frankfurt 2013

It looks like 2013 will be the year of the new baby CLS at Mercedes, with the regular Mercedes CLA debuting at Detroit in January and the CLA45 AMG at Frankfurt 2013. The next instalment of A-Class goodness will be the arrival of the ‘Baby CLS’ – the Mercedes CLA – which sets out to emulate the CLS with a swoopy coupe design expected to change little from the impressive Mercedes Concept Style Coupe we saw at the Beijing Motor Show in April. And if the new CLA looks just like the Style Concept then Mercedes will almost certainly have another hugely successful model in the A-Class range to bolster sales towards its aim of 2.6 million Mercedes sales a year by 2020.