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Mercedes-Benz Cars

Mercedes-Benz is known for its knack of crafting vehicles that boast of luxury and refinement. For most people, a Benz is a symbol of achievement, high status, and success. And so, it comes as no surprise that the name Mercedes-Benz has always been, and still is, synonymous with automotive excellence.

It was in January of 1886 that Karl Benz unveiled the first automobile; it had three wheels, and was given the nickname of the Benz Patent Motor Car. A few short months later, a four-wheeled vehicle powered by his Daimler engine was produced by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, his chief engineer. Not long after Daimler's death, the first Mercedes was crafted in 1901. Maybach was the builder, and Emil Jellinek commissioned the car, him being a primary distributor of Daimler. The name Mercedes was given to the vehicle after Jellinek's daughter. In 1926, the Daimler and Benz companies merged; the resulting company was called Daimler-Benz AG, and so was the birth of the Mercedes-Benz. The insignia of the company was a laurel-wreathed three-pointed star; Daimler thought of the star years earlier, and it represented the use of his engines in land, air, and sea bound vehicles.

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL "Gullwing" sports car was introduced in the 1950s, and it was often described as a supercar. It had a dramatic style and was made with race-bred technology. Even today, it is still a classic among collectors. Daimler-Benz also made strides in the safety technology area during this decade. The company's "crumple zone" body design, which, in the event of a crash, was created to absorb impact, was first incorporated into the Mercedes-Benz 220. The Mercedes-Benz 600 launch in 1963 cemented the reputation of the company as automotive luxury’s home. The luxurious sedan was available as a limousine also and had features such as an air suspension system that was ahead of its time and a 300 horsepower V8 engine. During that time, the company also launched the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3, a full-size sedan that accelerated to 60 in less than 7 seconds; it was seen as one of the quickest luxury vehicles of its day.

The S-Class line of vehicles came about during the 1970s, and these were very opulent coupes and sedans that coddled their passengers with an extensive list of features and power-packed engines. During that same decade, Mercedes also introduced antilock brakes, once again staying on the cutting edge of safety technology. In the 1980s, the company’s vehicles began to offer traction control and airbags, and they raised the bar in terms of handling and ride comfort with its introduction of multilink rear suspension. The Mercedes-Benz 190 E debuted this new technology, and to this day, it’s a vital component to chassis engineering of the company.

Thanks to a partnership with AMG, in the 1990s, Mercedes-Benz vehicles got an extra dose of performance and power. In 1995, the sporty C36 AMG was the first AMG model offered in the U.S. Mercedes has since been offering an AMG-tuned version of nearly all of its vehicles.

The current lineup of the company is, in its history, the most comprehensive. It seems the only thing missing is a pickup truck, with the variety of coupes, sedans, roadsters, and SUVs filling Mercedes showrooms. The brand continues to grow, and their premier status is very much intact.