The City Magazine team attended the presentation of the "best car" in the world, created under the direction of Slovenian designer Robert Lešnik.
It is rare that Slovenian design reaches so high in such an interesting field as car design. Robert Lešnik is one of those Slovenians who managed to make an incredible breakthrough among the elite of designers in the extremely attractive field of automotive design. We experienced the premiere presentation with him Class S at the Slovenian importer and experienced his authentic view of design. And despite the extraordinary siege by the media, managed to say a few words about his life path.
City Magazine// Knowledge, luck or a combination of circumstances - how did you find yourself in such an extraordinary world of automotive design?
Robert// I tried to come from Maribor to Ljubljana, but after being rejected three times at the Faculty of Design, a combination of circumstances took me to Germany, where talent was easily recognized. I was lucky enough to receive a scholarship from the large Volkswagen manufacturer almost immediately, who offered me a position in their development and design department after completing my studies. A little bit of everything, definitely also happiness.
City Magazine// Why do you think your talent was not recognized at home?
Robert// The fact that he was not recognized is somehow a stroke of luck. Because otherwise the path would not have carried me so easily into the world. The 100 kilometers from Maribor to Ljubljana seemed huge to me at the time. After being rejected by the faculty, however, the world became smaller. Or rather, it forced me to think things through from a different perspective. In principle, the fact that they did not recognize the talent does not bother me.
City Magazine// Work or passion?!
Robert// Passion for sure. If you don't do things with passion, there are no results, there are no emotions that you need in such work. Design is a combination of rationality and passion, which ultimately gives birth to real emotions. I also look at work rationally. There is a time to work and there is a time to rest. We work five days a week at Mercedes. I take the weekends for my family and children.
City Magazine// You were entrusted with the design of the admiral ship, the legend – Mercedes Benz, S-class
Robert// It is an extraordinary experience and certainly in the field of motoring, a pinnacle for any automotive designer. The S-Class is said to be the best car in the world, and Mercedes takes that extremely seriously. The history of the S class is one of the longest in the history of automotive design. This is above all an extremely traditional design approach, which always needs the right design guidelines. Since I have been the head of the design of all models of this brand, we have been trying to Mercedes create different guidelines for different type of consumer. I think we succeed in this with distinction.
See also the gallery from the presentation.
