Mercedes-Benz History

Mercedes- Benz

Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz were born only 60 miles apart in southern Germany. Daimler was born March 17, 1834. A decade later, on November 25, Carl Benz was born.

Although they grew up with little in common, both boys were fascinated by machines from an early age. Because their approach to building cars was quite different, it is doubtful, though, that they met or even knew what the other was doing.

In 1886, Carl Benz built a motorized tricycle. His first four-wheeler, the Victoria, was built in 1893. The first production car was the 1894 Benz Velo which participated in the first recorded car race, the Paris-Rouen race. In 1895, Benz built his first truck.

In 1886, Gottlieb Daimler literally built a horseless carriage. In 1888 Daimler made a business deal with William Steinway (of piano fame) to produce Daimler's products in the US. From 1904 until a fire in 1907, Steinway produced Mercedes passenger cars, Daimler's light trucks, and his engines on Long Island.

Ironically, history says Daimler, generally considered to be the father of modern automobiles never liked to drive, if, indeed he ever learned to drive. On March 6, 1990, Daimler died, leaving control of his company to his chief engineer Wilhelm Mayback.

By November 22 of that year, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschat had produced a special car for Emil Jellinek. Jellinek named the car after his ten-year-old daughter Mercedes. Lighter and smaller, the new Mercedes had 35 hp and a top speed of 55 mph!

The 1903 Parsifil was Benz's answer to Mercedes. A two cylinder vertical engine produced a top speed of 37 mph in this car.

Aware of the promotional potential of racing, both Daimler and Benz entered many of them. However, up until 1908, Daimler had overshadowed Benz in racing endeavors. At the 1908 French Grand Prix, Benz took second and third place behind Lautenschlager driving a Mercedes. From that point on, both Benz and Daimler did well in racing.

At the beginning of the first world war, both factories were converted into production sites for war materials, although both resumed producing cars after the war.

Mercedes-Benz from WWTs End to the Mercedes-Benz Merger.

Social unrest and a falling economy characterized post-war Germany. Little or no fuel for cars and a 15% luxury tax made automobile production increasingly disastrous. This market sent Benz and Cie. seeking a strong partner. The only one the board considered worthyof Benz and Cie was DMG.

Thus, in 1919, Karl Jahn, a Benz board member since 1910, approached Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschat about a possible merger. The merger attempt looked promising, then was abandoned in December of 1919.

The German economy continued to worse and a new Benz automobile eventually cost 25 million marks.

Although nearly 15 million cars were registered in the world in 1923, over 80% of them were registered in the US and over 1/2 were Fords. Benz and Cie. built 1,382 cars in 1923 while DMG only built 1,020. German auto makers were at a low point although racing success for the companies continued.

In 1924, from sheer economic necessity, Benz and DMG signed an "Agreement of Mutual Interest." Although both companies retained their identities, the agreement was valid until the year 2000. The two companies merged with relative ease on June 28, 1926.

Mercedes-Benz from the Mercedes-Benz Merger Through the 20 s

A symbol was chosen for the combined products of DMG and Benz. The new insignia was a three-pointed star wreathed with laurel. The word "Mercedes" was at the top and the word "Benz" was at the bottom.

Then merger did the new company well. Production of Mercedes-Benz rose to 7,918 Mercedes-Benz automobiles in 1927. The Mercedes-Benz diesel truck was put into production in 1927, also.

The first two automobiles to sport the Mercedes-Benz name were the Stuttgart and the Mannheim. Then in 1928 the Mercedes SS was introduced by Mercedes-Benz. This graceful body was made possible by a hood line that barely cleared the engine.

Mercedes- Benz 1930 and beyond for Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz launched their biggest and most prestigious car to date in 1930. The 770 Grosser was powered by an 8 cylinder, 7.6 liter engine. A car for the truly wealthy of the world, it was quite an automobile for showing off in a world economy still reeling from the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

The cars of the 1930s produced great racing success for Mercedes-Benz. The silver metal bodywork gave rise to the name Silver Arrows when the W25 racer (of Rudolph Caracciola fame) had the white paint removed to lower its weight.

W125 (200 mph top speed) won seven out of thirteen races in 1937 followed by the successful W154. In 1939 Mercedes-Benz built a small V8 races specifically to win the Tripoli GP It did win!

The Mercedes-Benz 170V gave Mercedes the capability of surviving and then recovering from WW II.

Mercedes-Benz Classics produced from 1930 - 1970.

*Mercedes Benz Type*	*Production: Years*	*Length: Inches*	*Weight: Pounds*
*Mercedes-Benz 770 Grosser*	*1930-37*	*210*	*6000+*
*Mercedes-Benz 380K/500K/540K*	*1933-1939*	*185-205*	*4500-5100*
*Mercedes-Benz 770 Grosser*	*1938-1940*	*246*	*7600-8100*
*Mercedes-Benz Type 300*	*1951-1962*	*195*	*3860-4400*
*Mercedes-Benz Type 300S/Sc*	*1952-1958*	*186*	*3600*
*Mercedes-Benz 300SL*	*1954-1963*	*180*	*2750-3000*
*Mercedes-Benz 190SL*	*1955-1963*	*169*	*2515*
*Mercedes-Benz Coupe/Cabriolet*	*1959-1971*	*192*	*3330-3650*
*Mercedes-Benz Type 600*	*1963-1980*	*218-246*	*5445-5820*
*Mercedes-Benz 230/250/280SL*	*1963-1971*	*169.5*	*2855-2900*
*Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 6.3*	*1967-1972*	*196.9*	*4010*

Models of Mercedes Benz Cars in India

With the aim to serve the customers in India with the latest products and technological excellence from the Mercedes-Benz, Daimler Chrysler entered the Indian market and set up Mercedes-Benz India Ltd. way back in 1994. In January 2000, Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W 210), 'Top of the line' E 240 Petrol and E 220 CDI Diesel versions were launched with several advanced technology and mentionable, high end features. It has a long-term commitment to the Indian market and has full support of its parent company for its future plans in India.

SL65 AMG Black Edition Mercedes B-Class

A –Class AMG-SL 65(Black Eddition)

2007 Mercedes C-Class

C-Class

Trademark origins

The newly created automobile company, Mercedes-Benz also needed a new image symbolizing their enterprise union. Their iconic three-pointed star is pervasive and unmistakably recognized around the world. But its design has evolved in many ways since the company merged in 1926. One early logo was trademarked in the United States on Friday, August 16, 1929. An application was filed for Mercedes-Benz by Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft of Berlin, Germany with the USPTO. Their application was filed in the primary class of non-metallic building materials and provide a description that included, "automotive vehicles, as follows: passenger cars and freight trucks; parts of and accessories to said vehicles…"

The drawing design Mercedes-Benz logo is a registered trademark at the USPTO, and owned by Daimler AG

The design of the Mercedes-Benz signature logo was described by the USPTO with three aspects, 1) Stars with three points (Celestial bodies, natural phenomena, Geographical maps — Stars, comets), 2) Garlands, wreaths, bands, borders or frames made of plants (Plants — Decorations made of plants), and 3) Circular or elliptical seals (Heraldry, flags, crowns, crosses, arrows, and symbols — Seals).

Daimler-Benz elaborates on their use of the new logo and its representations in their 1928 application. Based upon their description, it appears they combined design elements from each automobile company to create a new logo reflecting each company's legacy. They stated that the trademark was applied to goods in their business since October 1926 with the trademark, "having been used in the business of the applicant's predecessors and in the business of applicant, continuously since the following dates. The word Mercedes since December 1900; the word Benz since July 1896; the representation of a three-pointed star since June 27, 1909, the representation of a wreath of laurel since September, 1909." In their U.S. trademark application, Daimler-Benz stated that their trademark was registered in Germany on the 28th day of August, 1928 with an application date of August 21, 1926.

U.S. trademark registration was granted on July 28, 1931. It's current status is registered and renewed with the latest owner listed as Daimler AG of Stuttgart, Germany.

Business alliances

Studebaker-Packard

In 1958, Mercedes-Benz entered into a distribution agreement with the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana (USA), makers of Studebaker and Packard brand automobiles. Under the deal, Studebaker would allow Mercedes-Benz access to their U.S. dealer network, handle shipments of vehicles to those dealers, and in return receive compensation for each car sold. Studebaker also was permitted to use the German automaker's name in its advertisements, which stressed Studebaker's quality over quantity.

When Studebaker entered into informal discussions with Franco-American automaker Facel Vega about offering their Facel Vega Excellence model in the United States, Mercedes-Benz objected to the proposal. Studebaker, which needed Mercedes-Benz distribution payments to help stem heavy losses, dropped further action on the plan.

Mercedes-Benz maintained an office within the Studebaker works in South Bend from 1958 to 1963, when Studebaker's U.S. operations ceased. Many U.S Studebaker dealers converted to Mercedes-Benz dealerships at that time. When Studebaker closed its Canadian operation and left the automobile business in 1966, remaining Studebaker dealers had the option to convert their dealerships to Mercedes-Benz dealership agreements.

Subsidiaries

Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH is an independent subsidiary based in Stuttgart-Vaihingen, founded in 2000. Its business include car accessories, personal accessories, Collection and promotional items, and product design.

Mercedes-Benz AMG became a majority owned division of Mercedes-Benz in 1998. The company was integrated into DaimlerChrysler in 1999, and became Mercedes-Benz AMG beginning on 1999-01-01.

Mercedes-Benz is currently owned by Daimler AG. Germany.

Quality rankings

Since its inception, Mercedes-Benz had maintained a reputation for its quality and durability. Objective measures looking at passenger vehicles - such as J.D. Power surveys, demonstrated a downturn in reputation in this criteria in the late 1990s and early 2000s. By mid-2005, Mercedes temporarily returned to the industry average for initial quality, a measure of problems after the first 90 days of ownership, according to J.D. Power In J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study for the first quarter of 2007, Mercedes showed dramatic improvement by climbing from 25th to 5th place, surpassing quality leader Toyota, and earning several awards for its models. For 2008, Mercedes-Benz's initial quality rating improved by yet another mark, now in fourth place. On top of this accolade, it also received the Platinum Plant Quality Award for its Mercedes’ Sindelfingen, Germany assembly plant. As of 2009, Consumer Reports of the United States has changed their reliability ratings for several Mercedes-Benz vehicles to "average", and are recommending the E-Class and the S-Class

Corporate average fuel economy

In the United States, due to an inability to meet federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations, Mercedes-Benz was fined a record US$30.66 million in 2009. Certain Mercedes-Benz cars including the S550, C63 AMG, and SLK55 AMG sold in the United States also face an additional

In 2008 Mercedes had the worst CO2 average of all major European manufacturers, ranking 14th out of 14 manufacturers. Mercedes was also the worst manufacturer in 2007 and 2006 in terms of average CO2 levels, with 181 and 188 g of CO2/km respectively.

Production

Besides its native Germany, Mercedes-Benz vehicles are also manufactured or assembled in:

Argentina (buses, trucks and the Sprinter van. The first Mercedes-Benz factory outside of Germany)^[16]
Austria (G-Class)^[17]
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil^[18] (buses, trucks, C-class passenger cars (export only), established in 1956)
Canada
Egypt^[19]
Ghana (buses, trucks, taxis)
Hungary (construction of a new plant in the country announced on June 18, 2008, for the next generation A- and B-Class)^[20][21]
India^[22]
Indonesia^[23]
Iran
Malaysia^[24]
Mexico
Nigeria^[25] (buses, trucks, utility motors and the van Sprinter)
South Africa^[26]
South Korea (Mercedes-Benz Musso and MB100 models manufactured by SsangYong Motor Company)
Thailand (assembly of C, E and S class vehicles by the Thonburi Group)^[27]
Turkey^[28]
United Kingdom (The SLR sports car is built at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking).Brackley, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom Mercedes Grand Prix Factory
USA The Mercedes-Benz M-Class Sport Utility, the R-Class Sport Tourer, and the full-sized GL-Class Luxury Sport Utility Vehicle are all built at the Mercedes-Benz production facility near Tuscaloosa, Alabama.^[29]

Models

Mercedes-Benz range today

Mercedes-Benz has a full range of passenger, light commercial and heavy commercial equipment. Production is on a global basis. The Smart marque of city cars has also been part of the Mercedes-Benz Group since 1994.

Passenger cars

McLaren cars

A silver SLR McLaren on display at the 2006 European Motor Show in Brussels

Mercedes-Benz has also produced a limited-production sports car with McLaren Cars, an extension of the collaboration by which Mercedes engines are used by the Team McLaren-Mercedes Formula One racing team, which is part owned by Mercedes. The 2003 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren has a carbon fibre body with a 5.4 litre V8 supercharged engine. This is the same cylinder block as featured in SL55 AMG and the CLS55 AMG, though modified to give 460 kilowatts (625 PS; 617 bhp) and 780 newton metres (575 ft·lbf) of torque. The SLR has a maximum speed of 337 kilometres per hour (209.4 mph) and costs approximately US$500,000. Due to European pedestrian-protection regulations, McLaren decided to cease production of the SLR in 2009.^[30]

Car nomenclature

In 1994 (starting with the 1994 models), the traditional nomenclature of Mercedes-Benz vehicles changed. Since the early days of the company, the name would be in the form of (for example) 500E where the engine displacement made up the first three numbers and the last letter(s) represented the type of engine and/or chassis; for example: E for fuel injection (German: Einspritzung), D for Diesel, L for long-wheelbase, etcetera.

In 1994, this was altered so that the prefix reflected the model or Class, German: Klasse, in Mercedes-Benz terminology, and a number for the engine displacement. The suffix was retained in some cases, for example L for long wheelbase, and CDI for Diesel (CDI = Common-rail Direct Injection). Thus, the 500E in the example above became the E500 ("E-Klasse", 5 litres displacement). It should also be noted that while in the past the model number generally accurately reflected the actual engine displacement, this is currently not always the case — for example the E200 CDI and E220 CDI actually both have a 2.2 litre displacement, and the C240 actually has a 2.6 litre engine.