On 29 January 1886 Carl Benz filed an application in Berlin for a patent on his three-wheeled motor car. This date has since been considered the official birthday of the motor car.
This means Mercedes-Benz celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2011.
At the same time, Gottlieb Daimler was developing the first four-wheeled motor car. That’s how the founding fathers of today's Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz laid the foundation for a success story.

Innovation has always been key to success for car manu-facturers - without innovation there would be no progress.

The first "horseless carriages", were said to have "no future". Despite the sceptisism, the car evolved into an icon of personal freedom and a significant factor in the economy. Mercedes-Benz’ first modern passenger car was the Mercedes 35 hp, which was presented in February 1900.

It is considered as the prototype of all modern passenger cars, as it marked the transition from a long-legged "motor carriage" to a motor car as we know it.
The decisive technical innovations were its long wheelbase, wide track, low centre of gravity and angled steering co-lumn.
These improvements created the basis for comfortable and safe driving, something that was first turned into reality in a Mercedes.

SPIRIT OF INNOVATION
Thanks to its design creativity, Mercedes-Benz has been driving automotive progress with a succession of new idea.
Its power of innovation has allowed the company’s cars to evolve into an automotive ma-nufacturer with a unique and diverse product offering.
Today, the brand encompasses a range of vehicles that includes compact passenger cars, such as the A-Class, and luxury saloons such as the S-Class.
Mercedes-Benz has consistently been at the forefront of new concepts of personal mobility and has also opened up entirely new market segments.
For example, the SLK, which was unveiled in 1996, was the first compact premium roadster. This was followed one year later by the M-Class, the first premium SUV.
The most recent example is the CLS, which in 2004 established the segment of the four-door coupé.
Technical innovations that entered the market in Mercedes-Benz cars underpins the company’s leading role in key aspects of development - from drive technology to safety and comfort through to design.

ENGINE TECHNOLOGY
Mercedes-Benz has been a pio-neer in engine technology for 125 years. The high-speed petrol engine was, in the truest sense of the word, the "driving force" behind the invention of the motor car.
The Daimler 8 hp "Phaeton", unveiled in 1898, was the first road-going vehicle with a four-cylinder engine.
Another trendsetting Mercedes-Benz innovation was a diesel engine suitable for use in passenger cars, which was introduced in 1936 in the world's first volume-produced diesel passenger car, the Mercedes-Benz 260 D.
Numerous technological innovations, such as the common rail diesel (CDI) with turbocharger, have resulted in greater power and torque allied to better fuel economy and reduced exhaust emissions.
Today, the brand with the star is present in all segments of the market with a range of models powered by quiet-running, high-torque and high-efficiency CDI engines.
Based on power output, they actually consume up to ten times less fuel than the diesel pioneer of 1936!

MOST VALUABLE BRAND
Thanks to its innovation strategy, Mercedes-Benz occupies a leading position in the league table of the world's most valuable brands.
This is backed up by the latest 2010 international studies, which confirm the special position held by the brand with the star in no fewer than three cate-gories: "most valuable German brand", "most valuable global premium car brand" and "most valuable global luxury brand".

It was Carl Benz who said: "The love of inventing never dies". And it was Gottlieb Daimler who came up with the famous maxim "The best or nothing". Mercedes-Benz has remained true to these guiding principles for almost 125 years.
The spirit of innovation, one of the key driving forces, is firmly rooted in their corporate culture.
Today, Mercedes-Benz has at its disposal a global knowledge network of about 19 000 researchers and developers around the world - an interdisciplinary think tank, full of pioneering spirit, expertise and motivation, for continuing in future to make the best cars in the world.

"2011 is a very special, and very important. All our campaigns, staff and customer activities during 2011 will incorporate an element of celebration around this important milestone," said Eckart Mayer, divisional manager, Mercedes-Benz Cars.