Mercedes-Benz Logo

Brand History

The Mercedes-Benz Story

Mercedes-Benz unites two automotive traditions that began independently in 1886: Carl Benz patented the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, while Gottlieb Daimler completed a four-wheeled motor carriage later that year. The Mercedes name came from Mercédès Jellinek, daughter of businessman Emil Jellinek; Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft applied to protect the name in 1902. DMG and Benz & Cie. applied for a shared star-and-laurel emblem and the Mercedes-Benz word mark in 1925, then merged as Daimler-Benz AG effective June 28, 1926. Daimler-Benz later became an armaments producer and used forced labor under the Nazi regime. Postwar milestones included the 1959 safety body with crumple zones, digitally controlled production ABS in 1978 and the production-car driver airbag in 1981.

Logo History

Evolution Of The Mercedes-Benz Logo

1. 1902–1925 (predecessor identities)

   The Mercedes word mark belonged to Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft, while Benz & Cie. used its own name inside a laurel wreath. DMG applied to protect the three-pointed star in 1909; its points represented motorization on land, at sea and in the air.

2. 1925–1933

   Ahead of their merger, DMG and Benz & Cie. combined Daimler's three-pointed star with Benz's laurel wreath and the Mercedes-Benz name. They applied for the shared logo on February 18, 1925 and the word mark on April 25, 1925.

3. 1933–present

   Mercedes-Benz registered a streamlined three-pointed star within a slender ring in 1933. The marque has since used flat, dimensional, free-standing and grille-mounted versions of the same core star-and-ring symbol.

Model Evolution

Mercedes-Benz Through The Years

7 milestone models from 1930 to 2021.

1930

1954

1972

1979

1982

1984

2021