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Bionics learning from nature

Mercedes-Benz researchers and engineers have for the first time searched for a prototypein nature that approximates an aerodynamic, safe, comfortable and environmentallycompatible car. They found a source of inspiration that, despite its box-shaped body, hasexcellent aerodynamic properties: the boxfish.

The boxfish-inspired Bionic Car undercuts the drag coefficient values for modern compactcars by more than 65%. The boxfish is a model of rigidity and lightweight design. Itsouter skin is made up of numerous bony hexagonal plates, which combine maximumstrength with minimum weight. Translated to the Bionic Car, this bionic approach tostructural design reduces the weight of the bodyshell by about one third withoutdiminishing its rigidity or crash safety.

The "boxfish principle" also achieves a significant reduction in fuel consumption: the 103kW direct-injection diesel engine uses just 4.3 litres per 100 km in the European combineddriving cycle. This figure is 20 percent lower than that of a comparable series-productionmodel. And at a constant 90 km/h, fuel consumption drops to just 2.8 litres per 100 km.

Minimum emissions also play a key role in the Bionic Car. As well as an oxidation catalyticconverter and particulate filter as standard, a special technology is employed to convertnitrogen oxide into harmless nitrogen and water. The effect in the European test cycle is areduction of up to 80% in nitrogen oxide emissions.

Hydrogen energy source using energy more efficiently

In the F600 HYGENIUS, a fuel cell converts hydrogen into electrical energy with a highdegree of efficiency. Its hydrogen consumption corresponds to an energy equivalent of2.9 litres of diesel, producing an operating range in excess of 400 km. The F600HYGENIUS opens the door to a mobile future. This is because hydrogen can be producedwithout impact on the environment.

But the F600 HYGENIUS can do more. It is a mobile power plant. Its 66 kW power outputis sufficient to provide several family homes with electrical energy. Different electrical

devices can be supplied with electricity via a 110/220 V power outlet in the boot.

The F600 also delivers intelligent, targeted solutions. The passenger and rear seats canslide laterally as well as lengthways. The backrests on both sides of the seat can also beswung round to the front (opposing the direction of travel). Video cameras in the wingmirrors monitor the blind spots when driving and lock the doors briefly as the passengersget out if another road user comes too near.

Using a colour display in the instrument panel helps to reduce strain on the eyes whenshifting focus (a mirror deflects light rays from the display to the lower edge of the frontwindscreen). This means that the eyes no longer have to adjust their focus as sharplybetween near and far vision and drivers tire less easily.

The F700 luxury and economy in one

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The F700 makes the impossible possible. It unites a high level of environmentalcompatibility with excellent performance and outstanding comfort. The secret is theSaloon's DIESOTTO drive, which connects the strength of a low-emission petrol enginewith the economy of a diesel.

But this "future-mobile" has even more to offer. The F700's PRE-SCAN chassis is a worldfirst. It uses two lasers to scan the road in front of the car for uneven areas andcompensates with a high degree of sensitivity.

The REVERSE seat sets new standards. It allows individual sitting and reclining positionsto face both the direction of travel and the opposite direction. A further highlight is anavatar that appears on the SERVO-HMI display as an electronic assistant. This avatarhelps with navigation, making phone calls or searching for a radio station.

Innovative drive systems which forge new paths

Mercedes-Benz engineers have developed three vehicles based on sandwich floorarchitecture. This is possible thanks to Concept BlueZERO and the integrated technologiesF-CELL, E-CELL and E-CELL PLUS. The F-CELL runs on a fuel-cell drive that is already usedin a low-volume production version of the B-Class. A chemical reaction between hydrogenand oxygen enables the drive system to generate electrical energy without using fossilfuels. The second drive concept, E-CELL, operates with an innovative 120 V lithium-ionbattery. The third BlueZERO unit is called E-CELL PLUS. In this case, a 1.0 litre turbopetrol engine in the rear of the vehicle is installed to drive the power generator. The three-cylinder engine re-charges the lithium-ion battery according to requirements. On thisbasis, the vehicle can cover up to 600 km on one tank of fuel and 100 km without apetrol engine. A further advantage of these three drive systems is the fact that maximumtorque is available as soon as the vehicle moves off, which makes for excellentacceleration.

Our most innovative technology: thinking ahead

Mercedes-Benz has a tradition of producing great ideas. But we continue to develop andrefuse to rely on our previous achievements. Our Mercedes-Benz research vehicles bringfuture technologies to life and embody our vision of the future of the automobile. Thefollowing pages describe our research vehicles from previous years.

With us passion is a tradition

For 125 years we have been driven by one thing: an enthusiasm for building cars. Visitorshave been able to admire the results of this passion since May 2006 in the spectacularMercedes-Benz Museum. However, the foundation for an archive of automotive historywas laid much earlier, to be more exact in 1899 when Gottlieb Daimler presented his firstattempts at vehicle construction at the motor vehicle exhibition in Berlin.

In 1923 the first small factory museum was opened and 1936 marked the founding of theDaimler-Benz corporate archive. Since this time we have continually expanded ourcollections. In the 1960s a new Daimler-Benz Museum was opened to commemorate the75th anniversary of the company and it was later expanded to celebrate the 100thanniversary. In 2006 the historical site of automotive development was moved to a newaddress neighbouring the Daimler main production facility in Stuttgart with the opening ofthe current Mercedes-Benz museum.




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The name Mercedes as a trademark

The name Mercedes was registered on 23 June 1902 and trademarked on 26 September.

From June 1903, Emil Jellinek obtained permission to call himself "Jellinek-Mercedes". "It'sprobably the first time that a father has taken the name of his daughter," commented thesuccessful businessman at the time.

In 1907, Jellinek was appointed Austro-Hungarian Consul General and shortly afterwardsMexican Consul. He retired from the motor vehicle business in 1909 to devote his energiesentirely to his duties as head of the Austro-Hungarian Consulate in Monaco. He remainedan interested observer of automotive engineering developments until his death on 21

January 1918.

The triumphant success of Mercedes

In April 1900, Jellinek concluded an agreement with DMG concerning sales of cars andengines and the decision was taken to use the pseudonym "Mercedes" as a productname. It was also agreed that a new engine "bearing the name Daimler-Mercedes" was tobe developed.

A good fortnight later Jellinek ordered 36 vehicles for a total price of 550,000 Marks -equivalent to 3 million Euros of today. That was a very large order, and not only by thosedays' standards. After a few weeks he again ordered 36 cars with 8 hp engines.

The first car equipped with the new engine, a 35 hp (26 kW) racing car, was delivered toJellinek on 22 December 1900. This first "Mercedes", developed by Wilhelm Maybach,Chief Design Engineer at DMG, caused a sensation at the beginning of the last century.With a low centre of gravity, compressed-steel frame, light and powerful engine andhoneycomb radiator, it introduced many innovations and today is seen as the first modernautomobile.

The racing week in Nice in March 1901, during which the Mercedes cars were unbeatablein virtually all disciplines, earned Jellinek and his vehicles an exceptionally high profile.The 12/16 hp and 8/11 hp sister models appeared in March and August 1901. And thanksto Jellinek's orders, the Daimler plant in Cannstatt was operating at full capacity.

Name of the daughter

Emil Jellinek's business activities became so profitable that he moved to Nice. There hebought himself his first vehicle, a Dion-Bouton tricycle. This was followed by a three-wheeled Lon-Bolle Voiturette, which was subsequently replaced by a four-seater Benzcarriage. A newspaper article drew Jellinek's attention to Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaftand in 1897 he travelled to Cannstatt to visit the Daimler factory. Here he ordered his firstDaimler car, a 6 hp belt-driven model with a two-cylinder engine, which was delivered tohim in October 1897. However, Jellinek soon found that the car's top speed of 24 km/hwas not enough. He wanted 40 km/h and ordered two more cars: the Daimler Phoenixcars with front-mounted 8 hp engines supplied to him in September 1898 were theworld's first road vehicles with four-cylinder engines.

Emil Jellinek, who had a large residence in Nice and enjoyed good relations withinternational financiers and aristocrats, became increasingly active as a car dealer from1898, promoting and selling Daimler vehicles to the top echelons of society. In 1899 aloneDMG supplied ten cars to Jellinek. Jellinek demanded ever faster and more powerful carsfrom DMG. He entered these in racing events first and foremost the Week of Nice. Hehad the habit of racing under a pseudonym, using his daughter's name. The resultingsuccesses made the name "Mercedes the hot topic of conversation in motoring circles.

From the life of a globetrotter

Emil Jellinek was born in Leipzig on 6 April 1853. As a schoolboy, he brought his parentsanything but joy. An initial period of private tuition until 1863 was followed by achequered school career. Young Emil completely rejected all aspects of school work.

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At the age of 17, he started work as a civil servant with the Rot-Kostelec North-WesternRailway Company in Bhmen but had to leave again only two years later.

Emil Jellinek then moved to France and from there, at the request of the Austro-Hungarian Consul, he went to Tangiers. A year later, he went to Tetuan as a Consular

Agent, married a Frenchwoman and built up a successful business trading North Africanproducts.

In 1881, Jellinek returned to Vienna to take over the agency for an insurance company.He was eventually appointed inspector yet something drew him back to North Africa. Histwo sons, Adolph and Fernand, were born in Algiers. Emil Jellinek moved back to Viennawith his family in 1889.

A car that was supposed to change the world

What is considered Maybach's most outstanding design was created after Daimler's deathin 1900. The first Mercedes caused a sensation at the Week of Nice racing event in March1901. The vehicle stood head and shoulders above anything previously conceived of orbuilt at Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and it drew a line under the carriage era inautomotive engineering.

Despite the great success of the Mercedes cars in the years that followed, Maybach wasthe repeated victim of scheming behind his back. He was replaced as Chief DesignEngineer and his activities were reduced to the level of an "Inventors' Office". Hisacrimonious departure from DMG followed in 1907.

When the Zeppelin LZ 4 airship was destroyed in a storm in Echterdingen on 5 August1908, Maybach offered to build Count Zeppelin a new improved airship engine. Theresulting negotiations led to the creation of Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH in Bissingenon 23 March 1909. Wilhelm Maybach's son, Karl, who also designed the new engine,became Technical Manager. In 1912, the company (renamed Luftfahrzeug-MotorenGmbH) moved to Friedrichshafen. Father and son each had a 20% stake in the companyalthough Wilhelm Maybach placed the future of the business firmly in the hands of hisson.

After 1922, luxury cars were also produced in Friedrichshafen. The crowning achievementof the product range was the 1929 Maybach 12 DS, the first automobile with a V12engine and, along with its successor the Zeppelin, seen as the German answer to the Rolls-Royce.

Wilhelm Maybach died on 29 December 1929.

Daimler's congenial companion

Wilhelm Maybach was born on 9 February 1846 in Heilbronn, where he grew up as one ofsix children. By the age of ten he had been made an orphan. He attended school at theReutlinger Bruderhaus, where Gustav Werner, the founder and director of the school,spotted and nurtured the boy's technical talents.

In 1865, Maybach also met Gottlieb Daimler in Reutlingen and they became congenial

companions. Maybach remained a very close friend right up until Daimler's death in 1900.In September 1869, he worked in Karlsruhe with Daimler and later moved to the Deutzengine works. There he began work on designs for a light, high-speed combustion enginesuitable for use in water, land-based and airborne vehicles.

Daimler left Deutz Gasmotorenfabrik in mid-1882 following differences with theManagement Board. In October 1882, Wilhelm Maybach followed him to Cannstatt toimplement his designs for a light, high-speed combustion engine. During extensiveresearch work, Maybach unearthed a patent belonging to an Englishman named Watson.It described an unregulated hot-tube ignition system an essential element in generatinghigh engine speeds. In 1883, he developed the first horizontal engine, followed by theGrandfather Clock, an engine with a vertically fixed cylinder, which was particularly suitedto installation in vehicles. In 1885, the new engine was installed first in a wooden "ridingcar" and subsequently, a year later, in a carriage. But Maybach was not content withmerely producing engines for carriages.

Maybach subsequently developed the steel-wheel car. This vehicle saw the introduction ofthe gear drive to automotive engineering. Presented to the public for the first time at the1889 Paris World Exhibition, Maybach's steel-wheel car also precipitated the birth of theFrench automotive industry. When Gottlieb Daimler founded Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft(DMG) with Max Duttenhofer and Wilhelm Lorenz in November 1890, Maybach wasappointed Chief Design Engineer. He left the company in February 1891, however, citing

unacceptable terms of contract.

For the next 18 months, Maybach continues his design work at home. In the autumn of1892, with the financial backing of Daimler, he begins development work in HotelHermann in Cannstatt. This yields such important designs as the spray-nozzle carburettor,the Phoenix engine and improvements to elements of the belt-drive system. At therequest of English industrialist Frederick Simms, Maybach is reinstalled as Technical




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Director at DMG in November 1895. There he develops the tubular radiator with fan andlater the honeycomb radiator. The "Roi des Constructeurs" (King of Designers), as theFrench call him, goes from one technical achievement to another, creating the first four-cylinder automobile engine and in 1898/99 a whole generation of engines comprising fivemodels and producing between 6 hp (4 kW) and 23 hp (17 kW).

Breakthrough

Gottlieb Daimler had long been suffering from a heart condition. In winter 1892/93 he fellill again and was sent to Florence in the spring to recuperate. Here he was reunited withLina Hartmann, who he had previously met through friends in Cannstatt. His first wife,Emma, had died on 28 July 1889 and the urbane Lina Hartmann, 22 years his junior,made such an impression on him that he decided to marry her. The wedding took placeon 8 July 1893 in Schwbisch Hall.

Daimler's deteriorating heart condition started to have a detrimental effect on his handlingof DMG. In 1893, he rejected an offer to acquire shares of DMG which would haveguaranteed him a majority holding. This may well be due to doubts he had in the futureprospects of the company. The growing tension between Daimler on the one side andLorenz and Duttenhofer on the other eventually led to them effectively excluding Daimleras a shareholder after demanding the settlement of debts run up by DMG to the tune of400,000 marks. They threatened Daimler with bankruptcy if he failed to do this and gavehim only one other option: to sell them his stake in the company and the rights to hisinventions at a price of 66,666 marks. In order to avert bankruptcy, Daimler reluctantlyagreed. However, getting rid of Daimler did not bring the company any more luck.Technical progress evaporated as the balance sheets began to make increasinglydepressing reading.

Maybach turned down an offer Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft made to him in 1895, sayingthat he would not return without Daimler. It is unlikely that Duttenhofer would haveagreed to this demand had a new set of circumstances not forced a change of heart.Thanks to the success of the Maybach-designed Phoenix engine, Daimler engines hadgained international recognition. A group of British industrialists were looking to acquirethe license rights to this engine for Britain. They were prepared to pay a stunning 350,000marks but only on the condition that Daimler returned to the company.

The return of Daimler and Maybach brought about an unexpected reversal of fortune.Daimler's stake in the company was returned to him. His position on the SupervisoryBoard was one of expert advisor and general inspector. Maybach was appointed TechnicalDirector of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft on 8 November 1895 and also received shares.

For Maybach, the main priority was to rebuild the competitiveness of DMG based ontechnical progress and reliable products. An important basis was provided by the designsdeveloped in the Hotel Hermann. Gottlieb Daimler died five years later on 6 March 1900.

Progress

The next test vehicle after the motor carriage was a boat. Patent specification DRP 39367refers to a "fitting designed to operate the propeller shaft of a ship using a gas orpetroleum drive machine".

In June 1887, Daimler moved to new production facilities in Seelberg (Cannstatt). GottliebDaimler employed 23 carefully selected workers. A workforce of this size was, of course,far too large for a purely testing operation and costs exhausted a large slice of Daimler'spersonal fortune even though the successful boat engine business generated goodprofits.

The tight economic situation forced Daimler to seek partners. This resulted in the arrivalof Max Duttenhofer, Managing Director of the Kln-Rottweil powder factory, and a friendof his, Wilhelm Lorenz. On 28 November 1890, a public limited company was foundedunder the name Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft. The company's aim was to continue theactivities carried out in Seelberg. Under the terms of the consortium agreement, Maybachwas to be appointed Technical Director of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft. However, theterms of contract were unacceptable to an expert of Maybach's status. This resulted in




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Maybach leaving the company on 11 February 1891. Product-related issues were at thecentre of the disagreement that developed between Duttenhofer and Daimler. When itbecame clear that the impasse could not be resolved, Daimler resorted to more cunningmethods. The development side of the business was to continue independently of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and with the participation of Maybach. In this way Daimler killedtwo birds with one stone. He would have been forced to pay Maybach a considerable sumhad his contract been terminated. For the second time, Maybach's home had to be putforward as a design office.

In the autumn of 1892, Maybach rented the garden hall of what was formerly the HotelHermann on Daimler's behalf. The patents for the designs produced here were registeredin Maybach's name as a cover. Daimler merely looked after the financial side of theventure, Maybach enjoying a free reign as far as design was concerned. AmongMaybach's most significant inventions during this period was the spray-nozzle carburettor.

DMG found economic success hard to come by following Maybach's departure. It issignificant that Daimler and Maybach's inventions were first used commercially abroad and in France in particular. The automobile pioneers Panhard and Levassor acquired thelicense rights in 1889 and, from 1890, installed only Maybach-developed two-cylinder V-type engines in their vehicles.

The drive of success

In 1882, Daimler purchased a villa in Taubenheimstrasse in the Cannstatt district ofStuttgart for 75,000 gold marks. The expansive garden contained a greenhouse, to whichhe added a brick extension to house an experimental workshop.

Daimler's basic plan was to create gasoline-only engines and use them to power everyconceivable type of vehicle on land, on water and in the air. He naturally returned toOtto's four-stroke technology as the basis for his engines. However, the complex ignitionmechanism of the engine did not allow for high engine speeds.

After intensive testing, Daimler was granted a patent for an uncooled, heat-insulatedengine with unregulated hot-tube ignition. Patent specification DRP 28022 was amasterpiece in terms of wording as, strictly speaking, it mirrored Otto's four-strokeprinciple. This sparked a bitter struggle in the patents court involving the Deutz companyafter Daimler refused free rights to use the unregulated hot-tube ignition system.However, the High Court upheld Daimler's claim after he made a personal appearance atthe hearing.

At the end of 1883, the first test engine was put into operation. It had been cast in theKurtz bell-foundry and was listed in their records as a "small model engine". Thanks to hot-tube ignition and using an exhaust valve regulated by curved groove control, the engine

reached 600 rpm. This comfortably outstripped the performance of all previous engines,the speeds of which were limited to a maximum 120-180 rpm.

The next test engine is known as the Grandfather Clock Engine on account of itsappearance. The output of the first 1884 version is 1 hp (0.8 kW) at 600 rpm. Thisdesign, which focuses on a light, compact construction, paves the way for Daimler andMaybach to install an engine in a motor vehicle. A wooden-framed motorcycle, oftendescribed as a "riding bike" or "riding car", is used as the first test object. The single-cylinder engine, essentially a more compact version of the Grandfather Clock, is built intothe vehicle under the drivers seat. On 28 August 1885, Daimler is awarded PatentSpecification DRP 36423 for this "vehicle with gas or petroleum drive machine".

By the spring of 1886, Daimler had already ordered a vehicle, described as an "American"carriage, from the Stuttgart-based company W. Wimpff & Sohn. Manufactured inHamburg and assembled in Stuttgart, the vehicle was delivered on 28 August and secretlytaken to Daimlers residence, apparently as a birthday present for Daimlers wife, Emma.The engine, which was fitted (including drawbar steering) under the direction of Maybachin the Maschinenfabrik Esslingen mechanical engineering plant, generated 1.5 hp (1 kW)and was built according to the Grandfather Clock template. The engines power wastransmitted by belts. This Daimler "motorised carriage" was the worlds first four-wheeledautomobile.

The early years

Gottlieb Daimler was born in Schorndorf on 17 March 1834. In addition to his studies atthe grammar school in Schorndorf, he also attended drawing classes on Sundays. In 1848




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Gottlieb Daimler began an apprenticeship as a gunsmith in Schorndorf. He finished hisapprenticeship in 1852, presenting the required journeyman's piece he had created, adouble-barrelled pistol. After a stay in France, where Daimler acquired practicalexperience in mechanical engineering, he attended the Polytechnical School in Stuttgartfrom 1857 to 1859. After working in diverse technical jobs in France and England hebegan to work as a technical draughtsman in the town of Geislingen in 1862. At the endof 1863 he became workshop at a factory of the Bruderhaus orphanage and school in thecity of Reutlingen. Here he met Wilhelm Maybach in 1865.

On November 9, 1867 he married Emma Kurtz from Maulbronn. In 1869 he leftReutlingen to take up employ as workshop director at the Maschinenbau-GesellschaftKarlsruhe. Three years later he changed to Otto und Langen as technical director of theDeutz Gasmotorenfabrik, where he became acquainted with the principle of the Otto four-stroke engine. After differences with the company management, he left theGasmotorenfabrik in mid-1882.

The first woman at the wheel

It was the plucky Bertha Benz herself who took hold of the steering lever of the PatentMotor Car. She reasoned that the only way to convince the general public of the everydaypracticality of the motor car was to prove it to them in practice.

In the early hours of the morning and without the knowledge of her husband, in August1888 Bertha Benz set off in Karls three-wheeler with the couples two sons, Eugen andRichard, on the journey from Mannheim to Pforzheim.

As darkness fell, the intrepid trio arrived safely at their destination. They then sent Karl atelegram to tell him that they had successfully completed the first long-distance journey inhis motor car. News of this sensational event spread like wildfire. Two boys and a womanin a hissing, snarling horseless carriage? It had to be the work of the devil. Yet BerthaBenz had achieved what she had set out to do. The critics were at least won over by thereliability of the Benz Patent Motor Car. Without the courage and commitment of BerthaBenz, the road to automobile success would have been significantly more rocky.

Karl Benz later wrote in his memoirs, "Only one person stood by me during those timeswhen I was heading towards the abyss. That was my wife. It was her courage thatenabled me to find new hope."

She passed away on 5 May 1944, two days after celebrating her 95th birthday, inLadenburg in the state of Baden, where the family finally settled.

His inspiration: her courage and confidence

Although his work suffered frequent setbacks, Karl Benz was given strength by Berthasunshakeable belief in her husband and his invention. On 29 January 1886, he applied fora patent for his three-wheeled "vehicle with gas engine".

The success of the company, which shaped the future of personal mobility, can largely beattributed to Bertha Benz. Patent DRP 37435 is recognized today as the birth certificate ofthe automobile.

Karl Benz went on to build further, improved versions of his Patent Motor Car. Yet despitea generally enthusiastic reception from the public, the commercial success he cravedremained elusive. Once again he became racked with self-doubt and once again it washis wife who found a way out. She recognised that the general public remained suspiciousof the practicality and reliability of this driving machine, which some people saw aspowered by "mysterious forces". Thats why Bertha Benz set off on a publicity drivewithout further ado.




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Bertha Benz more than just the better half

History is punctuated by the efforts of women who have made significant contributions tothe lives of their famous husbands. One such figure is undoubtedly Bertha Benz, theresolute companion of Karl Benz. She was born Bertha Ringer on 3 May 1849 in Pforzheimand married Karl Benz on 20 July 1872 at the age of 23. Without her strong will andunshakeable belief in the success of her husband, the Benz & Cie. company may neverhave existed.

Bertha Benz was always supportive of her husband, encouraging him to keep going whenthe brilliant inventor and design engineer suffered serious technical setbacks andincreasing self-doubt about the direction his work was taking. Her unflinching optimismand ability to find the best solution to difficult situations constantly saw her re-emergefrom lifes troughs.

Even during her engagement to Karl Benz, Bertha made a spontaneous and selfless

decision that would prove essential to her husband-to-be. When it emerged that Karl Benzhad been manoeuvred into a virtually irrevocable financial situation by a business partner,

August Ritter, Bertha Benz offered her dowry to him in advance. Although not a hugeamount of money, it was enough to buy out the partner and secure all future decision-making powers for Karl Benz.

Mercedes-Benz is most successful brand since the introduction of AutoMarxX,capturing first place a total of 12 times

Mercedes-Benz has regained the top position in the AutomarxX brand ranking of ADAC,the worlds second largest automobile club, making it Germanys best automotive brand.Mercedes-Benz is the most successful automotive brand since AutomarxX was introducedin 2001, capturing first place a total of 12 times and beating its competitors in more thanhalf of all the rankings.

The ADAC study assesses the automotive brands sold in Germany in the categories ofProduct Strength/Vehicle Quality, Safety, Customer Satisfaction, Environment, BrandImage, and Market Strength. The results reflect the current capabilities of all automakersthat are of relevance in Germany. A winner is ascertained for each category, on the basisof which the overall winner is then determined.

Pioneer for active and passive safety systemsIts a great honor to take first place in the ADAC AutomarxX ranking, and were veryhappy about it, says Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing,Mercedes-Benz Cars. That we ranked at the top shows how successful and desirable theMercedes-Benz brand is. At the same time, the result confirms us in our efforts to deliver

our customers the very best in all areas each and every day. For us, this includesremaining the pioneer for active and passive safety systems, for which AutomarxX givesMercedes-Benz the best marks this year.

The main factors assessed in the Safety category are the availability of active and passivesafety systems and the degree to which vehicles are fitted with these systems as standard




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without any surcharge. Mercedes-Benz took first place in this category. The ProductStrength/Vehicle Quality category incorporates the results of 500 recent vehicle tests,includes those of external safety organizations such as the TV and DEKRA reports and ofthe ADAC breakdown statistics. Mercedes-Benz also did outstandingly well in thiscategory.

Maximum quality and the best-possible safety standardsIn the Brand Image category, the individuals surveyed were primarily interested inmaximum quality and the best-possible safety standards. Not only did Mercedes-Benz takefirst place in both of these areas, the people surveyed also ranked the brand at the topwith regard to automotive research and development. Mercedes-Benz improved itsposition in two other categories, which evaluated Customer Satisfaction and MarketStrength.

Since 2001, the ADAC AutomarxX study has been assessing the reputation and marketstrength of automakers that are of relevance in Germany. To date, the study has beenpublished 23 times, with Mercedes-Benz taking the top spot on 12 occasions. The

AutomarxX results are based on numerous studies and interviews. For example, theevaluation for the Brand Strength category incorporates the results of the ADAC Motorweltimage survey of 4,000 German citizens as well as an assessment of vehicle residual values

The establishment of an idea

On 24 January 1903, Karl Benz announced his retirement from active work within thecompany and took a seat on the Supervisory Board. Benz left the company in response tothe Managements decision to employ a group of French designers at the Mannheim plantwith the aim of facing up to competition from Mercedes. This led to internal wranglingand, ultimately, Benzs departure. His sons, Eugen and Richard, also left with him, thoughRichard returned to Mannheim in 1904 as Production Manager for passenger cars. By theend of the year, sales of Benz motor cars had reached 3480.

In 1906, Karl Benz founded the company "Karl Benz Shne" in Ladenburg, which wasjointly owned by himself and his son, Eugen. Having failed in their attempts to

manufacture naturally aspirated gas engines, they directed their attention to vehicleconstruction. Approximately 350 "Karl Benz Shne" vehicles were produced during thefirst quarter of the 20th century. In the meantime, the Benz family had relocated toLadenburg. In 1912, Karl Benz left the company as a partner, leaving his sons Eugen andRichard to run the business alone. The company expanded further and branched out intoother markets, for example into England where "Carl Benz Shne" vehicles were oftenemployed as taxis and where their reliability earned them great popularity. The lastvehicle was built in 1923. Two 8/25 hp vehicles were assembled a year later, which KarlBenz kept for his own business and personal use and which have been preserved right upto the present day.

Gottlieb Daimler died in 1900 and did not witness the outstanding success of hisinvention. Karl Benz, on the other hand, was able to follow the motorisation boom and theultimate breakthrough of his inspiration. He died on 4 April 1929 in his house inLadenburg. Today this house is used by the "Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler Foundation"as their headquarters and as a location for a range of events.

Breakthrough

Benz & Co. achieved a breakthrough in sales terms with the "Velo". A light, low-pricedvehicle, about 1200 models were built during the period 1894 to 1901. It is considered bymany to be the first production vehicle. By the end of the 19th century, Benz & Co. hadgrown into the worlds leading automotive manufacturer.It was converted into a public




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limited company in 1899 and continued on as Benz & Cie. Alongside Karl Benz on theBoard of Management, Julius Gan became Commercial Director. Between 1890 and1899, the vehicle construction workforce expanded from 50 to 430. 572 vehicles werebuilt at Benz in 1899.

In pursuit of success

In the same year Benz obtained financial support from the two businessmen Max Roseand Friedrich Wilhelm Esslinger, who founded Benz & Co. Rheinische Gasmotoren-Fabriktogether with Benz in October 1883.

The number of company employees grew rapidly to 25 and licences for building gasengines were issued. Benz could now focus all his energy on car engine development.Financially secure, he began with the design of an all-encompassing vehicle in which tointegrate his four-stroke petrol engine. His competitor Daimler on the other handintegrated his first engine in a carriage.

In 1886, Karl Benz was granted a patent for his vehicle and presented the first "BenzPatent-Motorwagen" (Benz Patent Motor Car) to the public.Three versions of the three-wheeled vehicle were produced between 1885 and 1887: model no. 1 was presented byBenz to the German Museum in 1906; model no. 2 is assumed to have been modified andreconstructed several times; and model no. 3, which featured wooden-spoke wheels, wasdriven by Bertha Benz on the first long-distance automobile trip in 1888.Growing demandfor stationary engines enabled Benz & Co. Rheinische Gasmotoren-Fabrik to move to alarger production facility.

Following the arrival of new partners, Friedrich von Fischer and Julius Gan, in 1890, theRheinische Gasmotoren-Fabrik advanced to the status of second-largest enginemanufacturer in Germany. In 1893, Karl Benz introduced axle-pivot steering to theautomotive industry. He also developed the "contra" engine, the forerunner to todaysboxer engine, in 1896.




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All beginnings are difficult

In 1871 Karl Benz joined forces with "mechanician" August Ritter to found his firstcompany in Mannheim. When Ritter emerged as an unreliable partner, Karl Benz paid himoff using the dowry of his wife-to-be, Bertha Ringer, before the two of them weremarried, and ran the company alone. Bertha Benz was to play a key role in thesubsequent success of his new company. She was the first person to drive an automobileover a long distance and is therefore the first female motorist in history. Karl and BerthaBenz had five children.

Business was not good for Karl Benz in the early days. In his "Iron Foundry andMechanical Workshop" (later renamed "Factory for Sheet-Metal Working Machines"),things got so bad that tools were impounded. In search of a new source of revenue, KarlBenz focused his attention on two-stroke engines. Following a two-year developmentperiod, the first engine operated satisfactorily in 1879. Since the patent for a four-strokeengine had already been issued to Deutz Gasmotorenfabrik in 1877, Benzs engine was

based on a two-stroke cycle. In developing his two-stroke engine, Benz also obtained anumber of fundamental patents, e.g. engine speed control. He employed his new batteryignition system to start his vehicles.

Aided by new financial backers and partners and the support of banks, Karl and BerthaBenz converted the company into a public limited company, renaming it "Gasmotoren-Fabrik Mannheim AG". Karl Benzs share in the company amounted to a mere 5%. Whenhis partners attempted to exert influence on his designs, Benz left the fledgling companyin 1883.




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Karl Benzs work

On 25 November 1844 Karl Benz was born as the son of a locomotive driver in Karlsruhe.His father died only two years after his birth. Despite limited financial resources hismother made sure that he received a good education. Benz attended grammar school andlater the Polytechnic University in Karlsruhe. He then completed a two-year period ofpractical training at the mechanical engineering company Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft inKarlsruhe. His employment began as a draughtsman and designer at a weighing machinefactory in Mannheim. He lost his position in 1868 and joined a construction companyspecialising in bridge-building. After this he went to Vienna for a brief period to work foran iron construction company.

On every surface

In June 1926, the two oldest motor manufacturers DMG and Benz & Cie. (formerly Benz &

Co.) merged to form Daimler-Benz AG. A new brand logo was born, which incorporatedthe key elements of previous emblems: the three-pointed star.The period after the FirstWorld War was heavily affected by inflation and poor sales figures especially for luxurygoods such as passenger cars and weighed heavily on the German car industry. Onlystrong brands produced by financially established companies were able to survive, butwere often forced into mergers or partnerships. Competitors for many years, DMG andBenz & Cie. entered into a joint venture as early as 1924 in order to remain competitivethrough standardised design and manufacturing, purchasing, sales and advertising.Duringthis period the two companies frequently engaged in joint advertising using separatetrademarks. Two years later, in June 1926, the two oldest motor manufacturers thenmerged to form Daimler-Benz AG.A new brand logo encompassing the key elements ofprevious elements was created: the world-famous three-pointed star of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft was surrounded with the "Mercedes" word mark and the equallyacclaimed "Benz" brand name with a laurel wreath encircling both words.To this day, thistrademark, which has scarcely been modified over the decades, continues to graceMercedes-Benz vehicles. The three-pointed star has become a universal symbol for qualityand safety and the Mercedes-Benz name is associated with tradition and innovation, withthe future of the motor car throughout the world.

Origins

DMG has used the successful, patent-protected, brand name "Mercedes" since September1902. But there was still no characteristic trademark. Gottlieb Daimler's sons, Paul and

Adolf, recalled that their father had previously used a three-pointed star as a symbol.

Gottlieb Daimler was the Technical Director of Deutz Gasmotorenfabrik from 1872 to1881. At the beginning of his period of employment, he had marked his house on apicture of Cologne and Deutz with a three-pointed star. He predicted to his wife that thisstar would one day rise gloriously above his production plant.

The DMG Board of Management seized on this prediction and in June 1909 registeredboth a three-pointed and four-pointed star as trademarks. Both logos were legallyprotected but it was the three-pointed star that was ultimately used. A three-dimensionalstar featured on the front radiator of vehicles from 1910 onwards.

The three-pointed star was also intended as a symbol for Daimler's principle of universal




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motorisation "on the ground, on water and in the air". Over the years it underwent anumber of design amendments. In 1916 for example a circle was placed around the star,in which four small stars and the word Mercedes or the name of the DMG plantsUntertrkheim and Berlin-Marienfelde were inserted.

In November 1921, DMG applied for protection of utility patents for new variants of itsbrand logo and registered a three-dimensional three-pointed star enclosed in a circle atthe patent office including a design for the radiator grille.

The magic moments of a legend

In early April 1900, DMG and Jellinek concluded an agreement concerning the sale anddistribution of Daimler cars and engines. When the decision was taken to develop a newengine bearing the name "Daimler-Mercedes", Jellinek's pseudonym also became aproduct name.

On 22 December 1900, the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft delivered to Jellinek the first carequipped with a new engine a 35 hp (25 kW) racing car. The vehicle was far above andbeyond the vehicles previously designed and built by DMG and ended the "coach" era inautomotive construction. Developed by Wilhelm Maybach, Chief Design Engineer at DMG,this first "Mercedes" caused a sensation at the beginning of the last century. With its lowcentre of gravity, a compressed-steel frame, the light and powerful engine and thehoneycomb radiator, it introduced many innovations and is seen today as the firstautomobile of its generation.

DMG-The early years

The Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) was officially established in 1890 following itsnotary certification in Stuttgart. It confirmed the approval for Daimler-related inventions.On 14 March Gottlieb Daimler, Max Duttenhofer and Wilhelm Lorenz had concluded apreliminary agreement.

In October 1894 Gottlieb Daimler temporarily left the DMG and officially relinquished hisstake in the company. Together with Wilhelm Maybach he devoted himself to furtherdeveloping the car in the decommissioned garden hall of Hotel Hermann in Cannstatt.

The first truck in the world was built in 1896 by DMG. The vehicle was delivered to theUK.

In 1900, DMG and Jellinek concluded an agreement in Nice concerning the sale anddistribution of Daimler cars and engines. It was also agreed that "a new type of engine

would be developed and that it was to bear the name Daimler-Mercedes". Jellinek'spseudonym "Mercedes" which he chose because it was his daughter's name, thus becamea brand name for the first time. That same month, in April, Jellinek ordered 36 vehiclesfrom Cannstatt for a total price of 550,000 gold marks.

In 1902 the Motorfahrzeug- und Motorenfabrik Berlin AG in Marienfelde was taken over byDMG, a significant merger for that time. In Untertrkheim (Stuttgart) new productionfacilities were created in 1903 and the company's head office was moved from Cannstattto Untertrkheim.

In 1907 Chief Design Engineer Wilhelm Maybach left Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft. Hissuccessor as head of the design office and technical direction was Paul Daimler.

After the war both DMG and Benz & Cie. were affected by the economic crisis.Diversification was necessary and as a result typewriters were produced in Untertrkheimalong with cars.

In an extraordinary meeting of shareholders in 1922 the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaftdecided to move the head office from Untertrkheim to Berlin for tax reasons.

The difficult economic situation and a large number of car manufacturers on the marketmade partnerships a necessity. In 1924 the companies of Daimler and Benz were already

working together in a joint venture which offered cars under the name of "Mercedes-Benz".

In 1923 Ferdinand Porsche took over as head of the DMG design office from Paul Daimler.

In 1924 Benz & Cie. and Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft merged to become a joint venture.




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Their shared sales activities for the brands "Mercedes and "Benz were taken on by thenewly established Mercedes-Benz Automobil GmbH.

Benz& Cie.The first steps

Together with businessman Max Rose and trade representative Friedrich WilhelmEsslinger Karl Benz founded the Benz & Co. Rheinische Gasmotoren-Fabrik (called Benz &Cie. after 1899) as a public incorporated corporation.

The number of company employees grew rapidly to 25 and licences for building gasengines were issued. Financially secure, Benz could now focus all his energy on car enginedevelopment. To do so he began with the design of an all-encompassing vehicle in whichto integrate his four-stroke petrol engine. His competitor Daimler on the other handintegrated his first engine in a carriage. In 1886, Karl Benz was granted a patent for hisvehicle and presented the first "Benz Patent-Motorwagen" (Benz Patent Motor Car) to thepublic.

Three versions of the three-wheeled vehicle were produced between 1885 and 1887:model no. 1 was presented by Benz to the German Museum in 1906; model no. 2 isassumed to have been modified and reconstructed several times; and model no. 3, whichfeatured wooden-spoke wheels, was driven by Bertha Benz on the first long-distanceautomobile trip in 1888.

Growing demand for stationary engines enabled Benz & Co. Rheinische Gasmotoren-Fabrik to move to a larger production facility. Following the arrival of new partners,Friedrich von Fischer and Julius Gan, in 1890, the Rheinische Gasmotoren-Fabrikadvanced to the status of second-largest engine manufacturer in Germany. In 1893, KarlBenz introduced axle-pivot steering to the automotive industry. He also developed the"contra" engine, the forerunner to today's boxer engine, in 1896. .

Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz, makers of the motorcar

When Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz invented the high-speed engine and the automobileindependently of each other in the 1880s, they laid the foundations for motorised privatetransport. With the help of financial backers and partners, both engineers carried outprivate development work at their own companies. Benz founded Benz & Co. RheinischeGasmotoren-Fabrik in Mannheim in October 1883; the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft(DMG) was founded in Cannstatt in November 1890.

Both companies wanted to come up with a memorable trademark to make their productsboth distinctive and familiar. Initially they opted for their own names Benz and Daimler

to represent the origins and quality of their engines and vehicles. The Benz & Cie.trademark did not change (though the gearwheel used in 1903 was replaced by a laurelwreath encircling the Benz name from 1909). However, the products of DMG appearedunder the new brand name Mercedes at the turn of the century.


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