TITLE: Vice President, Product Group Electric Vehicle Architecture,
Mercedes-Benz
COMPANY: Daimler
BASED: Sindelfingen, Germany
AGE: 46
NATIONALITY: German

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS 

Christoph Starzynski started his career in the purchasing department of DaimlerChrysler in 2002. After holding managing postions in production, quality and supplier quality in Germany and the U.S., he was appointed director of quality for Mercedes’ SUV plant in Vance, Alabama, in 2011. Starzynski returned to Germany in 2015, where he took over global quality management for the Mercedes C-Class, E-Class and S-Class. Moving to electric mobility, he was named chief engineer for Electric Vehicle Architecture (EVA) in 2017. Since 2020, he has led the product group EVA as a vice president, and is now responsible for all charging activities at Mercedes-Benz as well as the EQ electric subbrand. He holds a degree in business administration from the University of Applied Sciences in Koblenz.
  
REASON FOR WINNING

Mercedes is fighting to maintain its crown as the most successful premium automaker in the electric space as well, and Christoph Starzynski is in the driver’s seat. As head of the Electric Vehicle Architecture (EVA), Starzynski and his team started from scratch to create a state-of-the art platform that will underpin four Mercedes models. The first model launched on the platform is the EQS large sedan, with a range of up to 784 km under WLTP certification. It will be followed by the EQE, to debut late this year, then by the larger EQS SUV and the EQE SUV.

The EQS is impressive on many levels, with its innovative exterior design with a record-low 0.20 drag coefficient, extremely fast recharging times and one of most advanced applications of automated driving that gathers information from more than 350 sensors. But what has really stunned enthusiasts and Mercedes fans is the EQS's so-called "Hyperscreen," which seamlessly merges multiple displays from A-pillar to A-pillar to create a curved organic LED screen band that is more than 140 cm wide. It is powered by the latest evolution of the truly user-friendly MBUX human-machine interface.