The creation of the Mercedes-Benz marque dates back to 1886, when Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler conceived the first petrol powered car using the internal combustion engine individually. Their subsequent inventions further developed the premise of the automobile – Benz’s Velocipede was a three-wheel vehicle, and the first true automobile. Daimler’s motor carriage was the first four-wheeled automobile, designed by installing a one-cylinder gas engine within a light coach. Carl Benz came up with the double-pivot steering system in 1893, which made steering four-wheel vehicles much more simple, before releasing the Benz Velo in 1894, which was very popular. He also released an engine-powered bus and truck.The invention of the combustion engine caused Daimler to patent the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft name in 1899, along with the DMG abbreviation in calligraphy form. From the onset of the automotive industry, motorsport had been a popular way of developing automobiles both technologically and commercially, helping to demonstrate the capabilities of the vehicles involved. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft was commissioned to build a racing car for Emil Jellinek, named after his daughter Mercedes. The Mercedes 35hp was very successful during Nice racing week, leading to an increase in profit for Daimler and giving them a brand name with which to develop cars.Daimler began to make civilian versions of racecars the basis of their business, with the first Mercedes-Benz being marketed for sale by in 1901. Both DMG and Benz & Cie made more and more commercial vehicles. Development of the sector was initially slow, but soon grew to be an important aspect of these companies. In 1902, DMG registered Mercedes as a trademark, with the arched Mercedes insignia becoming a common feature on new DMG cars. Hoping to maximise production efficiency and increase volume, Daimler and Benz merged to form Daimler-Benz AG in 1926, with registered headquarters in Stuttgart. Mercedes continue to make technological and safety innovations that are implemented across cars throughout the automotive industry. Today, Daimler AG owns both the Mercedes-Benz and Smart Car marques, creating vehicles for both of these ranges.

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