Mercedes-Benz cars are an important part of the history of the car with many "firsts." They were the first to build a diesel-powered car in the 1930s, the first to build a car with fuel injection in the 1950s and the first to offer antilock brakes in the 1970s. Mercedes-Benz cars have also been important in auto racing history.
Mercedes-Benz (German pronunciation: [mɛʁˈtseːdəs ˈbɛnts]) is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG. The name first appeared in 1926 but traces its origins to Daimler's 1901 Mercedes and to Karl Benz's 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen, widely regarded as the first automobile.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Subsidiaries and alliances
2.1 Mercedes-Benz AMG
2.2 Mercedes-Benz McLaren
2.3 Studebaker-Packard
3 Production
3.1 Factories
3.2 Quality rankings
3.3 Sales success
4 Models
4.1 Current model range
4.1.1 Passenger cars
4.1.2 Trucks
4.1.3 Buses and vans
4.2 Significant models produced
4.3 Car nomenclature
4.4 Environmental record
4.5 Bicycles
5 Motorsport
5.1 Formula 1
6 Noted employees
7 Innovations
7.1 Robot cars
8 Tuners
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
[edit]History
Main articles: Karl Benz, Bertha Benz, Gottlieb Daimler, Emil Jellinek, Wilhelm Maybach, and Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft
Mercedes-Benz S-class
Mercedes-Benz traces its origins to Karl Benz's creation of the first petrol-powered car, the Benz Patent Motorwagen, patented in January 1886[1] and Gottlieb Daimler and engineer Wilhelm Maybach's conversion of a stagecoach by the addition of a petrol engine later that year. The Mercedes automobile was first marketed in 1901 by Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft. The first Mercedes-Benz brand name vehicles were produced in 1926, following the merger of Karl Benz's and Gottlieb Daimler's companies into the Daimler-Benz company.[1] Mercedes-Benz has introduced many technological and safety innovations that later became common in other vehicles.[2] Mercedes-Benz is one of the most well-known and established automotive brands in the world, and is also the world's oldest automotive brand still in existence today. For information relating to the famous three-pointed star, see under the title Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft including the merger into Daimler-Benz.
[edit]Subsidiaries and alliances
As part of the Daimler AG company, the Mercedes-Benz Cars division includes Mercedes-Benz, Smart and Maybach car production.[3]
[edit]Mercedes-Benz AMG
Mercedes-Benz AMG became a majority owned division of Mercedes-Benz in 1998.[4] The company was integrated into DaimlerChrysler in 1999,[5] and became Mercedes-Benz AMG beginning on 1 January 1999.[6]
[edit]Mercedes-Benz McLaren
Main article: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
Between 2003 and 2009, Mercedes-Benz produced a limited-production sports car with McLaren Cars, an extension of the collaboration by which Mercedes engines are used by the Team McLaren-Mercedes Formula One racing team, which is part owned by Mercedes. McLaren ceased production of the SLR in 2009 and went on to develop its own car, the McLaren MP4-12C, launched in 2011.
[edit]Studebaker-Packard
In 1958, Mercedes-Benz entered into a distribution agreement with the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana (USA), makers of Studebaker and Packard brand automobiles.[7] Under the deal, Studebaker would allow Mercedes-Benz access to its dealer network in the U.S., handle shipments of vehicles to the dealers, and in return, receive compensation for each car sold. Mercedes-Benz maintained an office within the Studebaker works in South Bend from 1958 to 1963, when Studebaker's U.S. operations ceased. Many U.S Studebaker dealers converted to Mercedes-Benz dealerships at that time.
[edit]Production
[edit]Factories
Besides its native Germany, Mercedes-Benz vehicles are also manufactured or assembled in:
Argentina (buses, trucks and the Sprinter van. The first Mercedes-Benz factory outside of Germany)[8]
Austria (G-Class)[9]
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil[10] Manufacture the trucks, buses and the C-Class. Established in 1956. The A-Class (W168) was produced from 1999 to 2005 as well.
Canada
Egypt via Egyptian German Automotive Company
Hungary (construction of a new plant in the country announced on 18 June 2008, for the next generation A- and B-Class)[11][12]
India[13]
Indonesia[14]
Iran (Not since 2010[15])
Malaysia[16]
Mexico
Nigeria[17] (buses, trucks, utility motors and the Sprinter van)
Philippines
Russia (E-Class)
Spain, factory at Vitoria-Gasteiz,Mercedes-Benz Vito have been build there.
South Africa[18]
South Korea (Mercedes-Benz Musso and MB100 models manufactured by SsangYong Motor Company)
Thailand (assembly of C, E and S class vehicles by the Thonburi Group)[19]
Turkey[20]
United Kingdom—SLR sports car was built at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking. Brackley, Northamptonshire, is home to the Mercedes Grand Prix factory, and Brixworth, Northamptonshire is the location of Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines
United States The Mercedes-Benz M-Class Sport Utility, the R-Class Sport Tourer, and the full-sized GL-Class Luxury Sport Utility Vehicle are all built at the Mercedes-Benz production facility near Tuscaloosa, Alabama.[21]
Vietnam Passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Established in 1995[22]
[edit]Quality rankings
Since its inception, Mercedes-Benz had maintained a reputation for its quality and durability. Objective measures looking at passenger vehicles, such as J. D. Power surveys, demonstrated a downturn in reputation in these criteria in the late 1990s and early 2000s. By mid-2005, Mercedes temporarily returned to the industry average for initial quality, a measure of problems after the first 90 days of ownership, according to J.D. Power.[23] In J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study for the first quarter of 2007, Mercedes showed dramatic improvement by climbing from 25th to 5th place, surpassing quality leader Toyota, and earning several awards for its models.[24] For 2008, Mercedes-Benz's initial quality rating improved by yet another mark, to fourth place.[25] On top of this accolade, it also received the Platinum Plant Quality Award for its Mercedes’ Sindelfingen, Germany assembly plant.[25] In April 2011, Consumer Reports of the rates six of thirteen Mercedes-Benz models as "below average".[26] However, J.D. Power's 2011 US Initial Quality and Vehicle Dependability Studies both ranked Mercedes-Benz vehicles above average.[27][28]
[edit]Sales success
On 5 January 2012, owners Daimler reported that a total of 1,260,912 Mercedes-Benz cars had been sold during 2011 - the best ever figure attained by the company.[29]
[edit]Models
[edit]Current model range
Mercedes-Benz carries a full range of passenger, light commercial and heavy commercial equipment. Vehicles are manufactured in multiple countries worldwide. The Smart marque of city cars and Maybach luxury cars are also produced by Daimler AG.
[edit]Passenger cars
See also: List of Mercedes-Benz cars
The following passenger vehicles were in production in 2011:
A-Class—Hatchback
B-Class—Multi-Activity
C-Class—Saloon, Estate & Coupé
CL-Class—Coupé
CLS-Class—Coupé
E-Class—Saloon, Estate, Coupé & Cabriolet
G-Class—Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV)
GL-Class—Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV)
GLK-Class - Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV)
M-Class—Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV)
R-Class—Luxury Tourer Vehicle (LTV)
S-Class—Saloon
SL-Class—Roadster
SLK-Class—Roadster
SLS AMG—Coupé
SLS AMG—Roadster
Viano—Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV)
[edit]Trucks
See also: List of Mercedes-Benz trucks
Mercedes-Benz Trucks is now part of the Daimler Trucks division, and includes companies that were part of the DaimlerChrysler merger. Gottlieb Daimler sold the world's first truck in 1886.[30]
[edit]Buses and vans
Main article: Mercedes-Benz buses
Mercedes-Benz Vario
Mercedes-Benz also produces buses, mainly for Europe and Asia. Mercedes-Benz produces a range of vans. The first factory to be built outside Germany after WWII was in Argentina. It originally built trucks, many of which were modified independently to buses, popularly named Colectivo. Today, it builds buses, trucks and the Sprinter van.
[edit]Significant models produced
Pope Benedict XVI in a Mercedes-Benz Popemobile in São Paulo, Brazil
1928: SSK racing car
1930: 770 "Großer Mercedes" state and ceremonial car
1934: 500 K
1936: 260 D World's first diesel production car
1936: 170
1938: W195 Speed Record-breaker
1951: Mercedes-Benz 300, knownly as "Adenauer Mercedes"
1953: "Ponton" models
1954: 300SL "Gullwing"
1959: "Fintail" models
1960: 220SE Cabriolet[disambiguation needed ]
1963: 600 "Grand Mercedes"
1963: 230SL "Pagoda"
1965: Mercedes-Benz S-Class
1966: 300SEL 6.3
1968: W114 "new generation" compact cars
1969: C111 experimental vehicle
1972: Mercedes-Benz W107 350SL
1974: 450SEL 6.9
1974: 240D
1975: Mercedes-Benz W123 Wagon - Mercedes' first station wagon
1976: 300D
1978: 300SD - Mercedes' first turbo diesel
1979: 500SEL and G-Class
1983: 190E 2.3–16
1991: 600SEL
1993: First 'E-Class'
1995: First 'Joint Mercedes-Benz & AMG' (C43 AMG)
1995: Mercedes-Benz SL73 AMG, 7.3 V12 (biggest engine ever put in a Mercedes-Benz)
1996: Mercedes-Benz Renntech E7.4RS
1997: Mercedes-Benz SLK
1997: Mercedes-Benz M-Class
2004: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
2004: Mercedes-Benz CLS
2007: E320, GL320 Bluetec, ML320 Bluetec, R320 Bluetec
2010: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
[edit]Car nomenclature
Until 1994, Mercedes-Benz used an alphanumeric system for categorising their vehicles, consisting of a number sequence approximately equal to the engine's displacement in liters multiplied by 100, followed by an arrangement of alphabetical suffixes indicating body style and engine type.
"C" indicates a coupe or cabriolet body style.
"D" means the vehicle is equipped with a diesel engine.
"E" (for "Einspritzen") means the vehicle's engine is equipped with petrol fuel injection. In most cases (the 600 limousine being the exception), if neither "E" or "D" is present, the vehicle has a petrol engine with a carburettor.
"G" denotes the Geländewagen off-road vehicle.
"K" was used in the 1930s, indicating a supercharger ("Kompressor") equipped engine. One exception is the SSK, where K indicates "Kurz" (short-wheelbase).
"L" means "Leicht" (lightweight) for sporting models, and "Lang" (long-wheelbase) for sedan models.
"R" stands for "Rennen" (racing), used for racing cars (for example, the 300SLR).
"S" Sonderklasse "Special class" for flagship models.
"T" stands for "Touring" and indicates an estate (or station wagon) body style.
Some models in the 1950s also had lower-case letters (b, c, and d) to indicate specific trim levels.
For some models, the numeric part of the designation does not match the engine displacement. This was done to show the model's position in the model lineup independent of displacement or in the price matrix. For these vehicles, the actual displacement in liters is suffixed to the model designation. For example, the 190-class all had "190" for the numeric designation, regardless of the engine size, to indicate their entry-level status. Also, some older models (such as the SS and SSK) did not have a number as part of the designation at all.
For the 1994 model year, Mercedes-Benz revised the naming system. Models were divided into "classes" denoted by an arrangement of up to three letters (see "Current model range" above), followed by a three-digit (or two-digit for AMG models, with the number approximately equal to the displacement in liters multiplied by 10) number related to the engine size, as before. Variants of the same model (such as an estate version, or a vehicle with a diesel engine) are no longer given a separate letter. In most cases, the class designation is arbitrary. The SLR and SLS supercars do not carry a numerical designation.
As before, some models' numerical designations do not match the engine's actual displacement; in these cases the number shows the model's relative performance within the class. For example, the E250 CGI has greater performance than the E200 CGI because of different engine tuning, even though both have 1.8-litre engines. Recent AMG models use the "63" designation (in honor of the 1960s 6.3-litre M100 engine) despite being equipped with either a 6.2-litre (M156) or 5.5-litre (M157) engine.
Some models carry further designations indicating special features:
"4MATIC" means the vehicle is equipped with all-wheel-drive.
"BlueTEC" indicates a diesel engine with selective catalytic reduction exhaust aftertreatment.
"BlueEFFICIENCY" indicates special fuel economy features (direct injection, start-stop system, aerodynamic modifications, etc.)
"CGI" (Charged Gasoline Injection) indicates direct gasoline injection.
"CDI" (Common-rail Direct Injection) indicates a common-rail diesel engine.
"Hybrid" indicates a gasoline- or diesel-electric hybrid.
"NGT" indicates a natural gas-fueled engine.
"Kompressor" indicates a supercharged engine.
"Turbo" indicates a turbocharged engine, only used on A-, B-,Е- and GLK-Class models.
All model designation badges can be deleted upon the customer's request.
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