The History of Mercedes-Benz
Many men are reputed to have "invented" the automobile. In reality, the automobile developed as an amalgamation with many individuals creating bits and pieces which contributed to the whole. However, Karl Benz is credited as the first person to create an engine-powered vehicle that was not derived from a horse-drawn carriage in 1886 (Gottlieb Daimler had already attached an engine to a horse-drawn carriage earlier). In fact, the Benz and Daimler companies were competitors until World War I. The two companies joined forces in 1924, and in 1926 the union would become official. The company would then be known as Daimler-Benz. It was also at this time company adopted the now-famous three-pointed star created by Daimler in 1909 as its logo.
Due to a licensing problem with the name Daimler, Daimler-Benz adopted the name Mercedes as its vehicle brand. The name Mercedes was chosen in honor of Emil Jellinek's daughter. Emil was a Daimler dealer who had used the name Mercedes on his Daimler race cars. The name Mercedes-Benz has been attached to the vehicles ever since. Throughout the decades, the Mercedes name has found itself on a number of notable vehicles, including the 1963 Mercedes-Benz 600, the S Class, the 300 SL "Gullwing" coupe, the Unimog military truck, the Gelaendenwagen sport utility and many others.
In 1989, Daimler-Benz acquired Chrysler in what was called a "merger of equals." The reality was that Daimler-Benz had acquired the Chrysler business, and the company was renamed DaimlerChrysler AG. In mid-2007, the Chrysler division would sold to Cerberus Capital Management. Daimler AG continues to maintain a minority stake in the Chrysler LLC business.
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