Every week, Mateo Kries commutes between the hectic streets of Berlin and the idyllic scenery of Weil am Rhein. Here, in the far southwest of Germany, you will find one of the world’s leading design museums: the Vitra Design Museum. Kries, an art historian, curator and author, has worked for the design institution for more than half of his life – today he acts as director of the museum. So, it’s quite natural that he looks at everything from a design perspective, not least when it comes to cars: “It’s my professional deformation that I perceive cars as sculptures, and all other everyday objects as well”, Kries admits, laughing. In Weil am Rhein he drives the Audi Q4 e-tron, and in his private life he gets behind the wheel of the Audi Q8 e-tron².

When it comes to design and colours, Kries is a fan of minimalism. He certainly does not miss all the buttons and switches that once used to be in the vehicles. On the contrary. “The responsiveness of the touch screens in the e-tron models is great, everything works at the touch of a finger – it’s a really neat combination of digital and haptic technology.” Less design is more, according to Kries. “A delicate, angular and square design offers more clarity in today’s world of high visual stimulation,” he explains as he walks through the Schaudepot at the Vitra Design Museum. For its annual presentation, which will be on display until May 2024, the Schaudepot has enlisted Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis to create an installation entirely devoted to colour – which also plays a significant role in the design of vehicles.

“For me, automotive design can be compared to choosing your outfit every day,” Kries explains. You wouldn’t wear your yellow or red sweater every day, which is why Kries also prefers timeless, muted tones in the automotive industry. “At the end of the day, cars are an integral part of our entire visual environment,” he observes. The Audi Q4 e-tron in Weil am Rhein is Typhoon Grey, which Kries describes as a particularly layered colour. “The special thing about this colour is that new reflections will appear, depending on the angle and the light,” Kries explains.

Actually, his favourite colour is green. He associates it with nature and plants. But he would only pick it for his car if he lived in the countryside. “Colours are visual statements, they are often tied to certain statements,” says Kries. “So, driving a green car in an urban environment like Berlin, for example, could be stating that you’re a forester or an estate owner.” But when it comes to the interior, he would like designers to be more experimental with colours, as this will have a greater impact on the well-being of the passengers. “I would imagine that seats in green or yellow tones or an interior dipped in pastel colours could be popular with the customers, as it adds to a pleasant atmosphere.” 

Two cities, two cars: Mateo Kries lives in Berlin and regularly commutes to Weil am Rhein, where he runs the Vitra Design Museum. For him, the transition toward e-mobility was long planned and only logical. He sees it as a more sophisticated, but also simpler way of mobility in the best sense of the word.