For the fourth time in a row, the Car Design Event returned to Munich and once again made the city’s Drivers & Business Club one of the most interesting spaces in the automotive industry. What started as a niche, invitation-only meeting has quickly become a valuable meeting point for designers, journalists, suppliers, students and brand representatives who want something more focused than a traditional auto show.
This year’s event, which took place March 2-4, once again placed design, conversation and access at the heart of the program. The formula remains one of its greatest strengths: instead of overwhelming the participants with size, Car Design Event thrives on intimacy. The framework encourages the kind of exchange that is often lost elsewhere, whether it’s a conversation with a lead designer, a closer look at the creation of a concept, or simply hearing how the people designing future cars think about creativity, storytelling, and the role of AI in the design process.
There was no shortage of headliners for the 2026 edition. Among the most significant were the European premieres of the Genesis. Equally notable was the appearance of the Lamborghini Manifesto, shown for the first time outside of Sant’Agata, offering visitors the rare opportunity to study one of the company’s more provocative design statements up close.
Volkswagen also used the event to reveal the interior of the ID.Polo. Other highlights included the Škoda Vision O, the Niels van Roij Design Breadvan Homage, the SUE Concept from UE Studios and a lighting prototype from EDAG, which showed how much design attention is now being paid to the details that were once lower on the priority list. The cycling world was also well represented: Novus Bike and Norton Motorcycles brought fresh ideas and reminded attendees that conversations about mobility design no longer start and end with cars.
The list of exhibitors and presenters was wide and varied and included names such as Alpine, Ducati, EDAG, Feadship, Genesis, Hyundai, Kia, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Pagani, Škoda and Volkswagen. Several other automakers were also in attendance with their senior design experts, underscoring one of CDE’s defining characteristics: it’s less about static representation and more about the people behind the work.
That has always been the real appeal of Car Design Event. When I first went there in 2023, the novelty was that car design was treated not as a supporting topic, but as the entire reason for my participation. In 2024, the event already felt safer, attracting a broader mix of international media, designers and students, while expanding the discussion around creativity, AI and the future of mobility. In 2026, that spirit remains, but the event now feels more mature, confident and relevant than ever before.
Another important aspect of this year’s edition was the continued collaboration with design schools such as the Munich University of Applied Sciences, the Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences and the Hof University of Applied Sciences. This direct connection between students and industry leaders gives the event a welcoming sense beyond the product presentation. It’s one thing to gather established names in a room; Ensuring that the next generation is at their side, listening, asking questions and making early contacts is another task.
As the entire industry continues to grapple with electrification, digitalization, and changing consumer expectations, the value of design-focused forums like this only grows. Cars may still be defined by performance specs, software and regulations, but events like CDE are a useful reminder that emotions, proportions, materials and storytelling still matter enormously. In Munich these topics had their own stage again.
For anyone with even a passing interest in how the cars, bikes and mobility objects of tomorrow will be designed, the Car Design Event remains one of the most worthwhile invitations on the calendar.
