Why Audi, BMW and Mercedes are revisiting classic designs

In an era of global tensions, environmental crises, wars and rapidly evolving technologies, Germany’s luxury car makers are choosing to look back – and rightly so. This is not an exercise in empty nostalgia, but a deliberate effort to rediscover the reassuring power of their roots, their heritage, and their identity.

AudiBoth BMW and Mercedes-Benz explore a design language that draws inspiration from their own histories. By revisiting the distinctive features of previous models, these companies find ways to connect tradition with the present, creating vehicles that are both familiar and forward-looking.

These automakers do this with cars that have a strong, distinct personality, and reinterpret historical references through a modern lens. Examples include the Audi Concept C, the new BMW iX3 production car and the Mercedes-Benz Vision Iconic – vehicles that anticipate a mature era with innovative stylistic philosophies.

Ultimately, though, this approach is about more than just aesthetics. It’s about making modern design memorable, providing drivers with a sense of continuity and reassurance in an uncertain world. And every company does it a little differently.

Mercedes’ distinctive vision: the soul meets the future

The front end of An innovative vision It leaves no doubt what Mercedes is trying to achieve here. Its grille with horizontal chrome slats – prominent yet compact and forming an almost rounded square – pays direct homage to Mercedes models of the 1950s, from the Pontoon series to the legendary 300SL.

The round, recessed headlights add a vintage touch that complements the car’s taut silhouette. Massive but well-proportioned and extremely aerodynamic, the body seems sculpted from a single material: clean, sharp surfaces, a low roof and a high beltline give it the presence of a monolithic technological mass. The black exterior also emphasizes this texture, with lighting elements creating striking contrasts – whether lit or not.

But Vision Iconic is more than just a stylistic exercise, it embodies a philosophy. By revisiting familiar elements – the badge, grille, side profile – Mercedes provides visual certainty in a changing world. The brand does not reject the future; It embraces it through forms that speak the language of the past, reinforcing its identity as a bastion of formal elegance and rational luxury.

Audi Concept C and BMW iX3: vertical past

Audi and BMW have also rediscovered vertical lines.

Audi Concept C, recently unveiled as the first work of Designer Massimo Frascellafeaturing a front grille that abandons the traditional octagon shape in favor of an almost new classic structure – vertical, slim, and striking.

For many years, Audi’s front ends followed a horizontal layout, sometimes incorporating the grille into the bonnet, as seen on the Audi 100 of the 1990s or De Silva’s more recent “single frame” designs. To find a precedent for the Concept C, you have to look to the Auto Union era. These iconic elements return through the lens of minimalist modernism.

A similar approach appears in the new BMW iX3, where the double kidney grille – narrow and vertically oriented – marks a return to a typical symbol, one that goes beyond function to become a distinctive design element.

In both cases, the design language strips away all that is unnecessary to reveal pure form, where every detail carries meaning. Here, the past is not just decoration, it is architecture. The visual references are familiar and consistent, and harken back to an (arguably) better time.

When Retro Was Futuristic: New German Art Deco Design

German brands have always flirted with the past. In the early 2000s, projects such as the Maybach Exelero – built by Stola in Italy upon customer request – and the Audi Rosemeyer concept, inspired by Auto Union racing cars, revived a design language drawn from the minimalist aesthetics of the 1930s, but imbued with an almost Batmobile-like gothic aura.

These were monumental theatrical exercises in design intended to convey power more than elegance, standing at the intersection of automobiles and Art Deco sculpture.

The much-forgotten 2006 BMW Concept Coupe Mille Miglia followed a similar path: pointed shapes, covered headlights, and a fast body that seemed to have been lifted from another era. However, at the time, those dramatic visions were too far removed from production, and perhaps too complex to be manufactured on a large scale.

But today the cultural climate has changed. Audiences are no longer just looking for novelty, but for meaning. Technology has advanced, and packaging electric powertrains allows for more design freedom.

Not just reactionary – reinterpretation

Other brands have turned old design into a deliberate strategy. With its electric reinterpretation of the R4, R5 and Twingo, Renault emphasizes visual continuity that resonates even with younger audiences.

Fiat had followed a similar strategy earlier with the 500, Volkswagen with the New Beetle, and later the ID.Buzz, and of course, there’s Mini – a multi-faceted brand built on one timeless design language. In all these cases, the past is celebrated through design, devoid of irony.

Even more mysterious are brands reviving historical names for entirely new models. The Ford Puma and Capri, now electrified sporty crossovers, retain little to their name other than the badge and a vague sense of dynamic spirit.

Then there is Citroën, which has long been associated with the stylistic avant-garde. While many are anticipating a new 2CV, the brand continues to surprise with unexpected concepts. Even the curve of the windshield on the first C3 in 2002 was enough to evoke a legend and boost sales.

Design, like cinema and music, reflects the times in which we live. Just as vinyl is making a comeback, many car designers are turning to the past for inspiration. But this is not just nostalgia, it is an expressive necessity.

In an uncertain future, the direction is clear: cling to what has always reassured us – and turn it back into emotion.