The History of Mercedes-Benz: From Daimler and Benz to Today

Mercedes-Benz traces its origins to the two inventors usually credited with creating the automobile in 1886: Carl Benz, who patented his Motorwagen in Mannheim, and Gottlieb Daimler, who with Wilhelm Maybach built a motor carriage near Stuttgart. Their companies, Benz & Cie and Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG), merged in 1926 to form Daimler-Benz, and their cars were sold as Mercedes-Benz. Nearly a century later, the company — renamed Mercedes-Benz Group in 2022 — makes cars and vans from the S-Class to the Sprinter.

Timeline

Two pioneers

Carl Benz focused on an integrated automobile — see the Patent-Motorwagen. Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach focused on fast-running engines that could power anything: cars, boats and even airships. DMG’s cars became known as Mercedes after 1901. Read why it’s called Mercedes.

The merger

After the First World War, Germany’s economy was devastated, and both companies struggled. They cooperated from 1924 and merged in 1926. The new logo combined Daimler’s three-pointed star with Benz’s laurel wreath. Read the meaning of the three-pointed star.

Silver Arrows and luxury

In the 1930s, Mercedes-Benz racing cars, stripped of paint to save weight, became the famous “Silver Arrows”. Meanwhile, the company built great luxury cars like the 500K and 540K and the “Grosser Mercedes” limousines.

Postwar recovery

Mercedes-Benz rebuilt after the war with durable sedans and diesel engines, the 300 SL Gullwing, the Mercedes 600 limousine, and the S-Class and E-Class. Its reputation for safety and engineering became global.

Alliances and today

The 1998 merger with Chrysler created DaimlerChrysler, which ended in 2007. The truck business was spun off as Daimler Truck in 2021, and the car and van company became Mercedes-Benz Group in 2022. Read the S-Class history and the Sprinter history.