Stefan S. Handt has been Head of Design at Daimler Buses for around three years. We met him in his modern design studio in Neu-Ulm to talk about the new Mercedes-Benz Intouro.

Design needs a place where it can come to fruition. That’s why Stefan S. Handt, Head of Design at Daimler Buses since 2018, has chosen a special location for our meeting: the studio he redesigned at the storied Setra site in Neu-Ulm. “The idea was to create a modern loft with its own unique aesthetic and a visual sense of calm – industrial design combined with domestic elements in pleasing contrast,” explains the Berlin-born designer, who has drawn vehicles at Daimler since 2003.

The special location makes it clear already: design is not an end in itself, but needs to tell a story. Handt says: “You can only achieve interesting expression using the language of design if you employ very diverse vocabulary. A design might speak to you quietly at first but still have great power – a bit like timeless great music in comparison to a fashionable one-hit wonder.” Talking with Handt about bus design in his studio, you can see and feel his tremendous enthusiasm. “For lasting design, a designer needs to make people notice. That’s what really defines the quality of work we do.” 

The essential task of a vehicle designer is to turn stringent design requirements into a unified creation of steel, glass and plastic – all while remaining aligned with traditional brand values. “Mercedes-Benz buses have always communicated quality, durability and market-leading functionality. These aspects must of course be presented by the designer as the core of the brand. That means looking to tradition, rather than trendy retro design,” says Handt, continuing: “all I do is make very careful use of the core characteristics of the brand.”

The core values of Mercedes-Benz are obvious even from afar in the new Intouro intercity bus. We are currently looking at a version with the fittings of the “Exterieur” package. It looks almost cast from a single piece, radiating power and confidence. Stefan Handt: “the goal was to create a functional but visibly high-quality bus for this very price-sensitive sector. The smooth form and large radii in front ensure an astonishingly good C_w value of 0.37 – streets ahead of its predecessor. It doesn’t matter that we have had to avoid any refined curvature to the side walls. It gives it precisely the appearance I would expect of a bus in this sector. The whole expresses quality and confidence and can clearly be recognised as a Mercedes-Benz.”

The designer placed a clear focus on the highly expressive front of the vehicle, which makes a real statement. “Alongside the distinctive star logo, the prominent radiator grille is a clear symbol of Mercedes-Benz. We gave this even greater prominence in the Intouro,” Handt explains. The front is also decorated by a central, vertical “crease”, casting a clear shadow, which will in future decorate all the company’s intercity buses. “If the viewer senses this passion for the small details, they will also feel the same about the grand design.” This master of the art appears satisfied.