The three-pointed star enclosed in a circle is undoubtedly the logo of the most well known and loved the luxury car, the Mercedes-Benz.
This company, which is probably the oldest German car making company, has its headquarters based in Stuttgart.
The Tristar logo signifying land, sea, and air was chosen because the company is also involved in the manufacture of buses, coaches, and trucks.
The company was founded by Gottlieb Daimler, the man who is credited with the invention of the internal combustion engine. The car was marketed by an Austrian, Emil Jellinek, and named after his daughter.
Mercedes with its expensive luxury limos and sedans soon became the preferred car of the rich and the powerful. Its presence was rivaled by Audi, BMW, and Cadillac.
In 1926, Daimler merged with Karl Benz to form the company Daimler-Benz, a company that produces Mercedes-Benz even today.
The second World War saw the companys foray into the manufacture of airplane and ship engines to power the military efforts of Adolf Hitler.
This was not a great phase in the company’s history because most of the workforce used by Mercedes comprised forced labor.
The first series of the car to be produced by the Daimler-Benz company after the war were the Ponton models.
They were in production from 1950 to 1959, though some models continued to be produced till 1962.
Among the Ponton models was Gullwing launched in 1954 and Fintail launched in 1959. The Mercedes-Benz 220SE was the last of the Ponton series. It was available as a sedan, coupe and cabriolet.
In 1965, the company launched its Mercedes-Benz S-Class series of cars, the sedans that went on to become the companys flagship.
The next major series to be launched by the company was Mercedes-Benz E class in 1986, which was a bestseller in its own right.
This was a mid-size luxury car and was available in six and eight-cylinder gasoline and diesel engine models. The car had a fuel injection system that gave it greater fuel efficiency.
The next great hit was the Mercedes-Benz M class which was a four-door SUV to be produced by the company.
This luxury automobile was hailed as the safest vehicle on road due to the presence of front and side airbags and a stability control system. It was launched to a negative press but went on to become the best selling car in the US.
In 1998, the Daimler-Benz company underwent another merger this time with Chrysler — to form DaimlerChrysler AG Company.
Following this, the company rolled out an all Mercedes-Benz CLS in 2005 and Mercedes-Benz W221 S class in 2006.
These cars combine beauty, safety and utility, all in one. In fact, the company has always used state of the art engineering technology and quality to build its cars.
It has several firsts to its name. These include the introduction of the fuel injection system and anti-lock braking system.
Another feature was the number of cars that the company produced in each series. This has always made Mercedes-Benz an exclusive car to own.
