Mercedes-Benz is a German brand of luxury and high-performance automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks owned by Daimler AG. Mercedes-Benz has, over the years, introduced many of the technological and safety features that have become common in modern vehicles. Established in 1871, Benz & Cie. was the most important of several companies founded by Karl Benz. The Benz patent motor wagon was ahead of its times; by 1886, Benz had the first four-stroke engine. Karl Benz is credited as the inventor of the first "true" automobile since Daimler's vehicle was a horse carriage adapted with an engine, whereas the 1886 Benz automobile had a chassis designed from scratch. Since its inception, Mercedes-Benz had a reputation for quality and durability. Increased focus on costs and volume,
Mercedes-Benz automobiles are available at dealerships in over 130 countries and their work fleet (trucks and commercial vehicles) are available from a select group of dealers worldwide as well as the factory-direct. As with several European brand automobiles, Mercedes has offered a European delivery option for purchasing of a Mercedes Benz automobile.
In 1994 (starting with the 1994 models), the traditional nomenclature of Mercedes-Benz vehicles changed. Since the early days of the company the name would be in the form of 500E where the engine displacement made up the first three numbers and the last letter(s) represented the type of engine and/or chassis; for example: "E" for fuel injection ("Einspritzung" in German), "D" for Diesel, "L" for long wheelbase etc. In 1994, this was altered so that the prefix reflected the model ("class", German "Klasse", in Mercedes-Benz terminology) and a number the displacement. The suffix was retained in some cases, for example "L" for long wheelbase, and "CDI" for Diesel (CDI = Common rail Direct Injection).
Thus, the 500E in the example above became the E500 ("E-Klasse", 5 liters displacement). It should also be noted that while in the past the model number generally accurately reflected the actual engine displacement, this is currently not always the case - for example the E200 CDI and E220 CDI actually both have a 2.2 liter displacement, and the C240 actually has a 2.6 litre engine. Also, there is a huge difference in power (and price) between some cars with the same engine number, such as C55 and SL55.
The fastest (production) automatic road car in the world is the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren at 334 km/h (208 mph). The car was co-developed by DaimlerChrysler and McLaren Cars. The fastest street-legal saloon car in the world is the Mercedes-Benz BRABUS (tuned) W211 'E V12' - based on the E-Class saloon. Mercedes-Benz's PRE-SAFE uses radar to detect an imminent crash and prepares the car's safety systems to respond optimally. It can also calculates the optimal breaking force required to avoid an accident and makes it available for when the driver depresses the brake pedal. Mercedes-Benz unveiled its DiesOtto engine concept at the 2007 Frankfurt auto show. The new engine could give the responsiveness of a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine with the frugality of a tiny diesel-burner. The DiesOtto is, at heart, a 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with twin sequential turbochargers and direct injection.
Mercedes-Benz also produces buses, mainly for Europe and Asia. The first factory to be built outside of Germany after WWII was in Argentina. It originally built Truck-Buses, named Colectivo in Buenos Aires, Argentina (1950-1987), but now builds buses. At the 2007 Frankfurt motor show, Mercedes-Benz showed seven hybrid models, including the F700 concept car which combined hybrid drive with the innovative DiesOtto engine. Mercedes-Benz automobiles are very popular among performance-oriented buyers, and several companies have become tuners/modifiers of these cars, adding even more performance and luxury to the brand. AMG is Mercedes-Benz's performance-tuning division, specializing in high-performance versions of most Mercedes-Benz cars. AMG engines are hand-built and the completed engine receives a tag with the signature of the engineer who built it. AMG has been fully-owned by Mercedes-Benz since 1999. Other Mercedes-Benz Tuners: Brabus, Lorinser, Carlsson, Kleemann, RENNtech, Kicherer.
The following passenger vehicles were in production in 2007: A-Class Hatchback, B-Class Sports Tourer/Hatchback, C-Class Sedan, Sports Coupe & Wagon, CL-Class Coupe, CLK-Class Coupe & Cabriolet, CLS-Class "4 Door Coupe", E-Class Sedan & Wagon, G-Class Cross-country vehicle, GL-Class SUV, GLK-Class SUV, M-Class SUV, R-Class Sports Tourer, S-Class Sedan, SL-Class Roadster, SLK-Class Roadster, SLR-McLaren High Performance Coupe & Roadster. Significant car models produced: 1991: 600SEL, 1993: First 'C-Class', 1995: First 'Joint, Mercedes-Benz & AMG', 1995: Mercedes-Benz SL73 AMG Biggest Engine Put Into a Mercedes-Benz, 7.3L V12, 1996: Mercedes-Benz SL60 AMG Very Rare 6.0L V8, 408hp, 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds, 1996: Mercedes-Benz RENNtech E7.4RS, world's fastest street sedan, 1997: Mercedes-Benz M-Class, 1998: Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR, 2004: Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG, 2004: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, 2004: Mercedes-Benz CLS, 2007: E320, GL320 Bluetec, ML320 Bluetec, R320 Bluetec.
The most powerful naturally aspirated eight cylinder engine in the world is the Mercedes-AMG, 6208cc M156 V8 engine. It is the first engine in the world to combine large displacement with the high-revving concept, allowing it to produce around 20 percent more torque than comparable naturally aspirated engines in this performance class. The V8 engine will be badged '63 AMG' and will replace the '55 AMG' M113 engine in most models (exceptions include the SL55 and G55 AMG which will retain the M113 engine). Mercedes-Benz cars: 190 1982-1993 300D 1977-1985 300CD 1978-1985 300SD 1981-1985 300SDL 1986-1987 300TD 1978-1985 350SDL 1990-1991 500SE 1984-1991 500SEC 1984-1991 500SEL 1984-1991 A-Class 1997- C-Class 1993- CLK-Class 1998- E-Class 1995- SL-Class 1989-2001 Vaneo 1997-2004 B-Class 2005- C-Class W203 2001-2007 W204 2008- CL-Class W215 2000-2006 W216 2007- CLK-Class 2000- CLS-Class 2004- E-Class W210 1995-2002 W211 2003- G-Class 2000- GL-Class X164 2007- M-Class W163 1998-2005 W164 2006- S-Class W220 1999-2005 W221 2006- SLK-Class R170 1998-2004 R171 2005- SL-Class 2001- R230 SLR-McLaren 2003- 722 Edition 2006, 2007, 2008. Anti-lock brakes (ABS), traction control and airbags in the European market, were all Mercedes-Benz innovations. These technologies were introduced in 1978, 1986 and 1980 respectively.
