Society and Technology: Focusing on future markets

Founded in 1978, Daimler’s Society and Technology research group is based in Berlin (Germany), Palo Alto (California) and Kyoto (Japan). Under the leadership of Eckard Minx, the team investigates issues that generally come under the headings of futurology, mobility, and innovation.

The team of researchers initially examines the current state of a specific country and its society. On the basis of this analysis, it then investigates the likely developments and trends that will shape the markets of the future.

The prognostic method adopted by the 30 or so psychologists, engineers, historians, social scientists, and economists is both contextual and interdisciplinary. In the course of numerous projects they have been able to show that it is possible to develop successful practical strategies even for an uncertain future. Their secret has been to employ an applied, product-related form of research that investigates how specific developments in a particular market environment can affect products and projects associated with the Daimler Group.