History of Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz has a history of making history. Since the first car, Mercedes-Benz has set the pace for what all cars might someday become. With an ongoing stream of firsts in safety, performance and driving enjoyment, it's an ever more exciting Road map to the future.

Mercedes-Benz is a German automobile manufacturer, a multinational division of the German manufacturer Daimler AG. The brand is used for luxury automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. The headquarters of Mercedes-Benz is in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

In 1886, Carl Benz is awarded German patent number 37435 for a three-wheeled, self-propelled "Motorwagen". 

With a rear-mounted single-cylinder engine, the first automobile forever changes the way people move, and sparks a legacy of innovation that continues to this day

Mercedes-Benz traces its origins to Karl Benz's creation of the first petrol-powered car, the Benz Patent Motorwagen, financed by Bertha Benz and patented in January 1886, and Gottlieb Daimler and engineer Wilhelm Maybach's conversion of a stagecoach by the addition of a petrol engine later that year.

Some of its Achievements:

• 1886 - "Bertha Benz, Carl's wife, decided to help promote his invention by taking it on a 120-mile tour without his prior knowledge. She also served as her own mechanic on the trip."

• 1894 - The first auto race: A Paris magazine sponsors the first official auto race, and a Daimler-powered car captures the historic win. 
• 1901 - Honeycomb radiator.
• 1906 - Electric-powered car.
• 1910 - The multi-valve engine : The Benz Special Touring Car is first to employ four valves per cylinder to improve both performance and fuel consumption. 
• 1921 - Supercharged engine : A compressor driven by the engine noticeably increases the power of several Mercedes models by pressurizing the fuel-air mixture. 
• 1936 - Diesel passenger car : The first diesel passenger car, the 260D, uses about 30% less fuel than its gasoline counterpart, and does so without the maintenance of ignition components. 
• 1939 - Passenger-car safety development : Led by engineer Béla Barényi, Mercedes-Benz formally begins safety research with a test vehicle featuring a highly rigid floor, side-impact protection and a collapsible steering column.
• 1949 - Conical-pin door lock : Designed to help prevent the doors from opening in an accident, this patented, extremely strong door latch is the first of its kind.
• 1951 - Crumple zone (series production: 1959) : Béla Barényi's research leads to a patent for the first safety car body with a rigid passenger cell and defined deformation zones, a concept used universally today. 
• 1963 - Gated shifter : On the first SL to offer an automatic transmission, an ingenious notched layout facilitated selection of all four forward gears without a pushbutton release. It remains an industry standard. 
• 1973 - Offset-frontal crash test : One of many evolutions of the crash test program, the "partial overlap" barrier crash more accurately simulates the concentration of forces in real-world collisions.

Antilock Braking System (ABS):

                               A concept first unveiled in 1970, ABS helps the driver retain steering control under heavy braking by preventing wheel lockup. It remains both a milestone in automotive safety and a cornerstone, with the ability to individually brake wheels serving as a fundamental element of countless future breakthroughs.

• 1982 - Multilink suspension : Debuting on the compact 190-Class, this breakthrough 5-arm rear suspension design provides a new level of handling precision, ride comfort and active safety.

• 1985 - 4MATIC all-wheel drive (AWD) : The AWD E-Class debuts along with two electronic traction systems for rear-wheel-drive cars: the automatic differential lock (ASD) and automatic skid control (ASR). 
• 1991 - CFC-free climate control : Long before other automakers, Mercedes-Benz removes these eco-unfriendly chemicals not just from its air conditioning systems but the entire manufacturing process.  
• 1992 - Controller Area Network (CAN) : A breakthrough in automotive electronics, the networking of numerous components allows more precise and rapid control, along with new levels of feature interaction.  
• 1995 - Electronic Stability Program (ESP®) : Perhaps the most important safety breakthrough since the air bag, ESP helps maintain control in corners and evasive maneuvers. It is now required by law on all cars.  
• 1997 - SmartKey : Changing the tide in both convenience and antitheft protection, the compact SmartKey uses an electronic code to unlock and start the car, rather than a mechanical lock.  
• 2006 - DISTRONIC PLUS with PRE-SAFE Brak :Even when not using the cruise control, it looks ahead for stopped traffic, alerts the driver, and even starts the braking process to help reduce the speed of impact.