Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design in Carlsbad operates one of only four global exterior-design studios for the Mercedes-Benz Group, developing concept vehicles and future production models from a 35,000-square-foot facility on Rutherford Road. The studio relocated to Carlsbad in 2008 after the parent company acquired the former Chrysler Pacifica Advanced Design building for $6.9 million, joining the North County luxury-automotive corridor anchored by Mercedes-Benz of Carlsbad on the retail side. Designers and clay-model constructors at the Carlsbad campus specialize in full-scale 1:1 exterior modeling, a capability the previous 13,000-square-foot Irvine studio could not accommodate. The facility shares concept research with sister studios in Sindelfingen, Germany; Como, Italy; and Yokohama, Japan, feeding California-inspired design language into the global Mercedes-Benz production pipeline. Notable output includes the BIOME Concept, a biologically grown vehicle presented at the 2010 Los Angeles Design Challenge, reflecting the experimental brief that distinguishes the Carlsbad studio from the service-oriented operations at Porsche Carlsbad Service and Parts down the road. Current work focuses on digitally sculpted exterior surfaces rendered in Autodesk Alias before clay verification at 1:1 scale.