Subject: Mercedes Benz
Content: Mercedes-Benz (sometimes shortened to just Mercedes, "Benz" or "Merc") is a German brand name of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks owned by DaimlerChrysler AG. The Daimler-Benz company originated on June 28, 1926 when two companies, Benz & Cie. and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft
(DMG), the inventors of the automobile, merged. Karl Benz is credited
as the inventor of the first 'true' automobile (patented in 1886) since
Daimler's was a horse carriage with an engine, whereas Benz' had a
chassis designed from scratch.
Established in 1871, Benz & Cie. was the most important of several companies founded by Karl Benz. DMG was founded by Gottlieb Daimler and his partner Wilhelm Maybach
in 1890, but Daimler died in 1900 and Maybach left DMG in 1907, by
which time the two companies were rivals. In 1924, owing to economic
necessity after World War One, they entered into an "Agreement of
Mutual Interest" (valid until the year 2000), however, this initial
agreement still allowed each company to manufacture and sell their
products under their original brand names. It was only after the 1926
official merger, that the brand Mercedes-Benz was created and used.
Mercedes-Benz is the brand name applied to the models of one of the
premier automotive manufacturers in the world and, because of its tie
to Karl Benz, it is also the name of the world's oldest continuously produced automobile line. In 1926 when the new company, Daimler-Benz
was established through merger, a new logo also was created that would
include a symbol for each and integrate the names of the two former
companies. A three-pointed star had been designed by Gottlieb Daimler,
to show the ability of his motors for land, air, and sea use. This star
first appeared on a DMG model in 1909, so it was chosen for the new
logo. However the brand name Daimler had been licensed for use on other automobiles (in France and the United Kingdom), so the name of its seminal Mercedes
model was chosen for the DMG portion of the logo. The traditional
laurel symbol of Karl Benz was added along with his name to complete
the new logo. The logo with a plain ring, as seen today, was not used
until 1937.
Mercedes-Benz automobiles have introduced — both in the past and present — the majority of technological and safety features (see details below).
It was in 1998, when Daimler-Benz and Chrysler agreed to combine their
businesses — known as the "merger of equals", that a new entity, DaimlerChrysler AG was created. On May 14, 2007, the separation of Daimler and Chrysler was announced.
//
History
Benz Patent Motorwagen 1886 (Replica). The world's first true automobile.
Benz Velo 1894.
1934 Mercedes-Benz Silver 500K
.
The origins of the Daimler-Benz company founded through a merger in 1926 date back to the mid-1880s, when Gottlieb Daimler (1834-1900) working with Wilhelm Maybach (1846-1929), and Karl Benz
(1844-1929) independently invented the internal combustion
engine-powered automobile, in southwestern Germany. Although they were
merely sixty miles apart, these pioneers were unaware of each other's
early work.
The first logo of Mercedes-Benz from the 1926 merger of the companies of Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler.
Karl Benz had his shop in Mannheim and invented the world's first true automobile powered by an internal combustion engine in 1885. It had three wheels. He was granted a patent for his automobile, dated January 29, 1886,
for what he called the "Benz Patent Motorwagen". Among many inventions,
Benz patented his first engine in 1879 and included in his 'integral'
design for the Motorwagen patent application, a high-speed
single-cylinder four-stroke engine of his own design.
In 1885, Gottlieb Daimler and design partner Wilhelm Maybach, working in Cannstatt, Stuttgart, were granted a patent dated August 29, 1885 for what is generally recognized as the prototype of the modern gas engine, that they named the "grandfather clock engine".
On March 8, 1886, Daimler purchased a stagecoach
made by Wilhelm Wimpff & Sohn and he and Maybach adapted it to hold
this engine, thereby creating a four-wheeled carriage propelled by an
engine, as many had before them. The only distinction about this
carriage was that it carried an internal combustion engine. None of
many similar attempts to adapt carts, boats, or carriages, in many
countries, were propelled by this type of engine. On the official
history pages of the Mercedes-Benz Internet site it is referred to as
"a carriage — without a drawbar but with the conventional drawbar
steering. A carriage without horses..." Daimler and Maybach later
purposely built, from scratch, the first four-stroke engine powered automobile with four wheels in 1889. They founded DMG in 1890 and sold their first automobile in 1892.
Stationary engines were his major business and he invented many
improvements to them and their application, but Karl Benz continued to
refine his Motorwagen through several models and sold his first
automobile in 1888. He built his first four-wheeled model in 1891. Benz
& Cie, the company started by the inventor, became not only the
world's first, but also largest manufacturer of automobiles by 1900.
In 1899, DMG automobiles built at Untertürkheim (a city district of Stuttgart) were raced successfully by Emil Jellinek (1853-1918), an automobile enthusiast and dealer. He had the name of his daughter, Mercedes, painted on the automobiles for good luck. Wanting faster race cars,
it was Jellinek who spurred the development of the seminal 1900 DMG
model that would be the first of the DMG Mercedes series, bearing the
name of his daughter.
After suggesting some design specifications, he promised to purchase
thirty-six of the new DMG model if Maybach would name the new 35 hp
engine contained in it the Daimler-Mercedes engine. A contract of five
hundred and fifty thousand marks was made for these new models. Within
weeks he contracted for thirty-six of another DMG model with 8 hp
engines. He was granted an exclusive concession to sell the new DMG
automobiles in Austria-Hungary, France, Belgium, and USA.
That new model
later would be named "Mercedes 35 hp" and it was a very important
advance in automobile design. The contract called for delivery of the
first automobile to Jellinek in the Fall, but it did not reach him
until December 22, 1900.
He became obsessed with the name Mercedes and even had his name changed
to Jellinek-Mercedes. Jellinek was invited to sit on the DMG board of
directors, which he did from 1901 until 1909, when he retired from
automotive activities in favor of diplomatic appointments.
The name change also was helpful in preventing legal troubles,
because after the death of Daimler, DMG had sold exclusive rights to
the name, Daimler, and technical concepts to companies abroad. As a
result, luxury automobiles branded Daimler were, and still are, built
in England. A fire that gutted the old Steinway piano factory in New York, which had been converted to produce the new Mercedes models, cut short the dream of American production.
1930 Mercedes-Benz SSK "Count Trossi" in the Ralph Lauren collection.
The rival companies of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) and Benz
& Cie. started to cooperate in 1924, due to necessity arising from
a troubled German economy after World War I,
and finally merged in 1926 to become Daimler-Benz AG, which produced
Mercedes-Benz automobiles and trucks. The merger agreement established
that the two companies were required to remain together until 2000.
While focusing on land vehicles, Mercedes-Benz also built engines to
power boats and airplanes (military and civil), and even Zeppelins. Karl Benz died in 1929.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe from the Ralph Lauren collection.
Although the brand is most famous for limousine models, a significant number of notable sports cars have also been produced. For example, the early supercharged SSK developed by Ferdinand Porsche. Another distinctive model was the iconic 300SL Gullwing of 1954; that was suggested by Max Hoffman, explicitly for the USA market, and introduced at the New York Automobile Show.
Mercedes-Benz has also produced higher volume, less expensive cars. Interestingly, the prototypes of the Volkswagen were built and tested in Stuttgart, in cooperation with Porsche. Before that, Mercedes-Benz had a similar rear-engined, yet rather unsuccessful, small car, the 130 H . In recent years Mercedes have produced the A-Class, relatively inexpensive compared to its other models. Also the Smart
brand of small affordable automobiles has been part of the
Mercedes-Benz Group since 1994 and are still producing cars today in
conjunction with DaimlerChrysler AG.
Quality & Reliability
Since its inception, Mercedes-Benz has had a reputation for
uncompromising emphasis on quality and durability. Increased focus on
costs and volume, and the dramatically increased complexity in modern
automobile electronics led to plummeting quality in the late 1990s and
early 2000s. By 2005, Mercedes temporarily returned to the industry
average for initial quality (if the "complexity" variable was ignored),
according to J.D. Power.[1]
Motorsport
Main Article Mercedes-Benz in motorsport.
A DMG Mercedes Simplex 1906 in the Deutsches Museum
1957 Mercedes-Benz 300Sc Cabriolet
1959 Mercedes-Benz W120 Model 180
The two companies which were merged to form the Mercedes-Benz
brand in 1926 had both already enjoyed success in the new sport of
motor racing throughout their separate histories- both had entries in
the very first automobile race Paris to Rouen 1894.
This has continued, and throughout its long history, the company has
been involved in a range of motorsport activities, including sportscar racing and rallying.
On several occcassions Mercedes-Benz has withdrawn completely from
motorsport for a significant period, notably in the late 1930s and
after the 1955 Le Mans disaster, where a Mercedes-Benz 300SLR
collided with another car and killed more than eighty spectators.
Although there was some activity in the inteverning years, it was not
until the late 1980s that Mercedes-Benz returned to front line
competition, returning to LeMans and sportscar racing with Sauber.
This long absence inspired by the disaster is understandable
considering that Mercedes-Benz is viewed by many to be the world's
safety leader due to their dominant contribution to automotive safety
as well as licensing their safety innovations for use by their
competitors, placing family safety above profit and competitive
advantage.
The 1990s saw Mercedes-Benz purchase engine builder Ilmor, and campaign cars at the famed Indy 500 race under the USAC/CART rules, eventually winning that race with Al Unser, Jr. at the wheel. The 90's also saw the return of Mercedes-Benz to GT racing, and the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR,
which took the company to new heights (both figuratively) by dominating
the FIA's GT1 class and (literally) by notably taking flight at the end
of a long straight at La Sarthe.
Mercedes-Benz is currently active in three forms of motorsport, Formula Three, DTM and Formula One. In Formula One, the company part owns Team McLaren
and has supplied the team with engines since 1995. This partnership has
brought great success, including back to back Drivers Championships for
Mika Häkkinen
in 1998 and 1999 and a Constructors championship in 1998. The
collaboration with McLaren has been extended into the production of
roadgoing cars such as the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.
Business alliances
Studebaker-Packard Corporation
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.
Production
Besides its native Germany, Mercedes-Benz are also manufactured or assembled in:
South Africa [1] Thailand [2] Malaysia [3] United States of America [4] Argentina [5] (Buses, Trucks and the van Sprinter. the first factory of Mercedes-Benz outside of Germany) Brazil [6] India [7] Nigeria [8] United Kingdom (The SLR supercar is built here at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking). Egypt [9] Austria (G-Class) [10] China Turkey [11] South Korea (Mercedes-branded Musso and MB100 models manufactured by SsangYong Motor Company)
Purchasing
Mercedes-Benz automobiles are available at dealerships in over 130
countries and their work fleet (trucks and commercial vehicles) are
available from a select group of dealers worldwide as well as the
factory-direct. As with several European brand automobiles, Mercedes
has offered a European delivery option for purchasing of a Mercedes Benz automobile.
Models
See also: List of Mercedes-Benz Cars
A-Class Hatchback
See also: Mercedes-Benz A-Class
B-Class Sports Tourer/Hatchback
See also: Mercedes-Benz B-Class
C-Class Sedan, Sports Coupe & Wagon
See also: Mercedes-Benz C-Class
CL-Class Coupe
See also: Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
CLK-Class Coupe & Convertible
See also: Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
CLS-Class Coupe
See also: Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
E-Class Sedan & Wagon
See also: Mercedes-Benz E-Class
G-Class SUV
See also: Mercedes-Benz G-Class
GL-Class SUV
See also: Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
M-Class SUV
See also: Mercedes-Benz M-Class
R-Class Sports Tourer/MPV
See also: Mercedes-Benz R-Class
S-Class Sedan
See also: Mercedes-Benz S-Class
SL-Class Roadster
See also: Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
SLK-Class Roadster
See also: Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class
Significant car models produced
1928: SSK legendary racing car 1930: 770 "Grosser Mercedes" state and ceremonial car 1934: 500 K 1936: 260 D World's first diesel production car 1938: W195 Speed Record-breaker 1953: "Ponton" Models 1954: 300SL "Gullwing" 1959: "Fintail" Models 1960: 220SE Cabriolet 1963: 600 "Grand Mercedes" 1965: Mercedes-Benz S-Class 1966: 300SEL 6.3 1969: C111 experimental vehicle 1972: Mercedes-Benz W107 350SL 1974: 450SEL 6.9 1974: 240D 1975: 280 1976: 300D 1979: 500SEL and G-Class 1983: 190E 2.3-16 1986: First 'E-Class' 1993: First 'C-Class' 1995: First 'Joint Mercedes-Benz & AMG' 1995: Mercedes-Benz SL73 AMG Biggest Engine Put Into a Mercedes-Benz, 7.3L V12 1996: Mercedes-Benz SL60 AMG Very Rare 6.0L V8, 408hp, 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds 1996: Mercedes-Benz RENNtech E7.4RS| world's fastest street sedan 1997: Mercedes-Benz M-Class 1998: Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR 1991: 600SEL 2004: Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG 2004: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 2004: Mercedes-Benz CLS 2007: E320 and GL320 Bluetec
See also: List of Mercedes-Benz Cars
McLaren cars
Mercedes-Benz has also produced a supercar 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. Many anticipate there to be a range of McLaren--Mercedes supercars produced in Woking (McLaren’s manufacturing headquarters). The 2003 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren has a carbon-fiber
body with a 5.5l V8 supercharged engine. This is the same block as
featured in other Mercedes-Benz automobiles, such as the SL55 AMG and
the CLS55 AMG, it has however been tweaked to give 454kw and 780nm of
torque. The SLR has a maximum speed of 334km/h and costs approximately
US$500,000.
The most recent new joint-venture model, expected to reach production, is the mid-engine P8 supercar. Based around a unique carbon fiber monocoque, manufactured by McLaren, the P8 was originally predicted to receive the new naturally aspirated 6.3L V8 from Mercedes-AMG, but insiders now say that the engine will be modified for the car and will probably be twin- turbocharged
to produce in excess of 600 bhp. The car is still in development, but
likely to reach production to go on sale in early 2008, and have a
price tag less than that of the SLR.
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 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 ("Einspritzung" in German), "D" for
Diesel, "L" for long wheelbase etc.
In 1994, this was altered so that the prefix reflected the model
("class", German "Klasse", in Mercedes-Benz terminology) and a number
the 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 liters 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 liter
displacement, and the C240 actually has a 2.6 litre engine. Also, there
is a huge difference in power (and price) between some cars with the
same engine number, such as C55 and SL55.
Concept Models
1970 Mercedes-Benz C111 [12] - sports car using Wankel engine 1978 Mercedes-Benz C111-III - sports car with tail fin 1981 Mercedes-Benz Auto 2000 - 4 door sedan 1986 Mercedes-Benz NAFA - microcar 1991 Mercedes-Benz C112 - sportcar and mule Mercedes-Benz F 100 - Car introducted in 1991 Mercedes-Benz F 200 Imagination - 2 door coupe introduced in 1996 Paris Motor Show Mercedes-Benz F 300 Life Jet - 3-wheel Car/Motorcycle unveiled in 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show 1999 Mercedes-Benz Vision SLR - Prototype of Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, unveiled in 1999 North American International Auto Show Mercedes-Benz Vision SLA - convertible version of Vision SLR, unveiled in 2000 North American International Auto Show Mercedes-Benz F 400 Carving - A 2-seat roadster unveiled in 2002 Tokyo Motor Show Mercedes Benz F 500 Mind - 4-door fastback sedan unveiled in 2003 Tokyo Motor Show Mercedes-Benz F 600 HYGENIUS - compact fuel cell car, unveiled in 2005 Tokyo Motor Show Mercedes-Benz Bionic - Car unveiled in 2005 DaimlerChrysler Innovation Symposium in Washington, modelled after boxfish Mercedes-Benz Ocean Drive - a 4-door convertible
Buses
Main article: Mercedes-Benz buses
Mercedes-Benz also produces buses, mainly for Europe and Asia. The
first factory to be built outside of Germany after WWII was in
Argentina. It originally built Truck-Buses, named Colectivo in Buenos Aires, Argentina (1950-1987), but now builds buses.
Vans
Mercedes-Benz produce a range of vans. The current range consists of
Mercedes-Benz Vito — Light Van based on the Viano MPV with loaded weight of approx 1 tonne Mercedes-Benz Sprinter — Mid-sized van with loaded weights of 2 to 6 tonne (produced as a Dodge in USA and Canada with the name Freightliner Sprinter. A joint venture.)
Sprinter 414 416CDI ambulance Sprinter 316CDI light ambulance
Mercedes-Benz Vario — Heavy van with similar load to a light truck (7.5 tonne)
Trucks
Mercedes-Benz is the world's largest manufacturer of trucks
The current range consists of
Mercedes-Benz Atego — Light truck from 7 to 16t Mercedes-Benz Axor — Mid-sized truck from 18 to 26t in rigid and articulated Mercedes-Benz Actros — Heavy duty rigid and premium articulated — 18 to 50t Mercedes-Benz Econic — Low floor version of the Axor for refuse and specialist applications Mercedes-Benz Unimog — For special purpose applications and transport across extreme terrain 1828L (F581) Mobile Casualty Treatment Centre 1517L Mobile Casualty Treatment Centre
Tuners
Mercedes-Benz automobiles are very popular among
performance-oriented buyers, and many companies have become
tuners/modifiers of these cars, adding even more performance and luxury
to the brand.
AMG
is Mercedes-Benz's performance-tuning division specializing in high
performance versions of most Mercedes-Benz cars. AMG engines are
hand-built and the completed engine received a tag with the signature
of the engineer who built it. AMG has been fully-owned by Mercedes-Benz
since 1999.
Other Tuners
Brabus Lorinser Carlsson Kleemann RENNtech Kicherer
Robot Cars
In the 1980s Mercedes built the world's first robot car, together with the team of Professor Ernst Dickmanns at Bundeswehr Universität München. Partially encouraged by Dickmanns' success, in 1987 the European Union's EUREKA programme initiated the Prometheus project on autonomous vehicles, funded to the tune of nearly 800 million Euros. A culmination point was achieved in 1995, when Dickmanns´ re-engineered autonomous S-Class Mercedes took a long trip from Munich in Bavaria to Copenhagen in Denmark
and back. On highways the robot achieved speeds exceeding 175
kilometres per hour (roughly 110 miles per hour; there is no general
speed limit on the German Autobahn).
The car's abilities left a big impression on many observers, and
heavily influenced robot car research and funding decisions world-wide.
Bicycles
Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH introduced 3 new bicycles in 2005, named Automatic Bike, Fitness Bike, Mountain Bike. [13] The bikes are sold in Australia [14] , Germany, Russia. [15]
List of vehicles
Mercedes-Benz Automatic Bike Mercedes-Benz Carbon Bike Mercedes-Benz Fitness Bike Mercedes-Benz Hybrid Bike Mercedes-Benz Mountain Bike Mercedes-Benz Street Bike
VIEW FULL VERSION: Link