History of Mercedes-Benz

Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz

The invention in the 1880s of the high-speed engine and the automobile enabled Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz, independently of one another to lay the foundations for the motorization of road transport. With the help of financial backers and partners, they both invested their projects in their own private businesses in Mannheim, Benz founded the firm Benz & Cie. in October 1883, and Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) was formed in November 1890.

In order to gain publicity and a certain distinction for their products, both companies sought a suitable trademark. To begin with, the inventors used their own names, Benz and Daimler, which vouched for the origin and quality of the engines and vehicles. The trademark of the Mannheim-based company Benz & Cie. remained unchanged, except that in 1909, the cog wheel symbol which had been used since 1903 was replaced with a laurel wreath surrounding the name Benz. But the turn of the century brought a completely new trade name for products from Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) in Cannstatt:Mercedes. So what is the origin of this name?

What's in a name?

At the turn of the 20th Century, Emil Jellinek was the Austro-Hungarian Consul in Nice. He was a great champion of the motorcar and a salesman of Daimler Automobile. He raced Daimler cars using a team driver designation borrowed from the name of his 10-year-old daughter. 'Mercedes' is a Spanish girls' name, meaning 'Grace.'

In April 1900, Jellinek placed an order with the Daimler Motor Company (DMG) for 36 cars. He requested a number of design improvements, that the cars be named after his daughter 'Mercedes' and, amazingly, that they be delivered on December 22nd, 1900. The low centre of gravity, pressed-steel frame, light, high-performance engine and honeycomb radiator set the standard for automotive design for years to come. Today, the car is regarded as the first modern automobile.

The 'Mercedes' trade name was legally registered on September 26, 1902. In 1903, Emil Jellinek changed his name to Jellinek-Mercedes, commenting, "This is probably the first time a father has taken his daughters name." Passionate about Mercedes? Thats just one more of our traditions.

The origin of the star

DMG now had a successful trade name, but still lacked a characteristic trademark. Then Paul and Adolf Daimler, the company founder's two sons, remembered that their father had once used a star as a symbol.

Gottlieb Daimler became technical director of the Deutz gas engine factory, in 1872. When he moved to Deutz to begin his new job, he sent a picture postcard of the city to his wife. On the card he drew a star above his own house and wrote that, one day, this star would shine above his own factory to symbolise prosperity.

The three-pointed star first appeared, as a design feature on the radiator, in 1910. The three points of the star represent Daimlers ambition of the universal motorisation - 'on land, on water and in the air.'

Over the years, graphical details of the star have altered and evolved, but one thing has remained the same, the Mercedes-Benz reputation for technical innovation, safety and quality.