Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler are regarded as the inventors of the
modern motor vehicle. With the Benz-Patent Motorwagen and the Daimler
Motorkutsche, both engineers developed the first motor-driven vehicles
almost simultaneously in 1886. In 1926, the two car factories merged to
form Daimler-Benz AG.
Where does the name come
from ?
How was the Mercedes-
Benz logo created ?
After the death of Gottfried Daimler in 1900, Wilhelm
Maybach, Technical Director at Daimler-Motoren-
Gesellschaft, signs a contract with the Austro-Hungarian
Consul General Emil Jellinek for the construction of
a new 35 hp high-performance car. Jellinek, who will
also be responsible for sales, requests the car to be
named after his eldest daughter, “Mercedes”. The car
is a complete success right from the start. The name
Mercedes quickly became established, so that in 1902 it
was legally protected.
Gottfried Daimler worked for 10 years as technical director at Deutzer Gasmotorenfabrik.
On a postcard with a view of Deutz, he marked the family home with a three-pointed
star. It was the idea of Daimler’s sons Paul and Adolf to use this star as the company
logo. From 1910, the Mercedes star was used as a trademark on the radiator of the
vehicles.
At the same time, Benz & Cie. also applied for a patent for a logo in 1909, the Benz
lettering surrounded by a laurel wreath. One year before the merger of the two plants,
both logos became the Mercedes-Benz logo with star and laurel wreath.
What does Mercedes-Benz
stand for ?
First and foremost, the name Mercedes-Benz is associated with technical innovations,
quality, safety and luxury.
Before the Second World War, the world's first series-produced diesel car was presented,
and after the 1948 currency reform the diesel models were further developed.
Among the most important technical innovations are, for example, the safety pin lock,
which prevents the doors from jumping open in the event of an accident, or the safety
body with a rigid passenger cell and defined crumple zones at the front and rear.
Mercedes Benz automobile designers Hans Scherenberg and Béla Barényi develop a
scheme for systematic safety research, making them the forerunners of passive car
safety.
From the 1960s onwards, Mercedes-Benz secured its place among the most popular
luxury sedans with the S-Class models.
The Norev model program includes a wide range, starting with the Benz-Patent
Motorwagen and the Daimler Motorkutsche, various youngtimers, S-class models, AMG
models, but also racing cars (DTM) and last but not least the luxurious Maybach.
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