Mercedes-Benz is one of the oldest and most prestigious car manufacturers in the world. The company traces its origins back to 1883, when Karl Benz founded Benz & Co. in Mannheim, and patented the first motorcar with an internal combustion engine in 1886. Meanwhile, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach established Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) in Stuttgart in 1890, and produced the first Mercedes car in 1901, named after the daughter of a wealthy customer. Both companies adopted the three-pointed star as their logo in 1909, and merged to form Daimler-Benz AG in 1926, using the brand name Mercedes-Benz for their cars. Since then, Mercedes-Benz has been a pioneer in innovation and performance, introducing the first car with an independent suspension system in 1931, the first diesel-powered passenger car in 1936, the first crumple zone in 1959, the first ABS in 1979, the first airbag and belt tensioner in 1981, and the first ESP in 1995. Mercedes-Benz has also been successful in motorsport, winning the Formula One World Championship with the legendary 300 SLR racing car in 1954. In 1998, Daimler-Benz AG merged with Chrysler Corporation to form DaimlerChrysler AG, but sold Chrysler and changed its name to Daimler AG in 2007. Mercedes-Benz has also been developing alternative drive systems, such as fuel cells and electric vehicles. In 2010, it presented the first car with a fuel cell drive system, the B-Class F-CELL, and in 2016, it created a new sub-brand for electric vehicles, called EQ. In 2021, it unveiled its first all-electric luxury sedan, the EQS.
