Many people call Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler the fathers of the auto industry. Joining their passion for the automobile industry, the men formed a company. After that, the company built a reputation, and the Mercedes-Benz cars that we see today all came from that history. The iconic carmaker remains proud of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft’s 1901 Mercedes. Also, Karl Benz’s 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen is an original staple of the Mercedes-Benz name. But where does the company consider its true geographical roots? Is Mercedes-Benz a German car company?

Mercedes-Benz beginnings

According to Mercedes-Benz, the organization had a rocky beginning in the late 1800s. The idea of a wagon or buggy that propelled itself with an engine rather than by actual horses had society on edge. There were several different attempts to forge a strong German car company, but investors tended to push back against the idea of the automobile. Many of them hoped to instead focus on stationary engines.

“The company’s origins come from Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft’s 1901 Mercedes and Karl Benz’s 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen, which is widely regarded as the first internal combustion engine in a self-propelled automobile.”

Mercedes-Benz | Wikipedia

The first combustion engine was, in fact, not run with gasoline. The fuel was a much more volatile option called ‘ligroin.’ Regardless, the 1901 Mercedes and the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen were the predecessors of every auto in the modern Mercedes-Benz lineup. The union between these two inventors, which ultimately also included Wilhelm Maybach, became what we know today as Daimler AG. Mercedes-Benz is a subsidiary of the Daimler AG German car company.

According to the Daimler AG Wikipedia Page, “it is one of the world’s leading car and truck manufacturers.” In 1926, Daimler-Benz became a company. Benz & Cie. and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft merged to form the new organization. The first vehicles produced carrying the actual brand name released that same year. There’s one thing all of these places and names of origin have in common––they are all German.

Where does the star come from?

According to Mercedes-Benz, DMG held the patent for the Mercedes brand name starting in September 1902. However, there wasn’t a logo. The brand need a trademark. Gottlieb Daimler’s sons happened to recall that he used a star for a symbol at some point. At that point, the board decided to run with it and registered patents for both three and four pointed stars in the summer of 1909.

Both logos are legally protected but it is the three-pointed star that is ultimately used and a three-dimensional star adorns the front radiator of vehicles from 1910 onwards.

How it All Began | Mercedes-Benz

When the companies merged later in 1926, the brand name changed to include both of the prominent names. The brand kept the three-pointed Mercedes star trademark of the German car company. Today, Mercedes-Benz cars are known for luxury and performance. Plus, the Mercedes AMG segment became a huge part of Mercedes-Benz in 1999 and remains a performance benchmark today. Additionally, the Mercedes team is a very popular Formula 1 team that has participated in and won a long list of races and titles.