class=”sc-97fd9fa8-0 jNFKxv”>
After the fate of the four Fiat brands, we look at the eleven old and new brands of the German automobile giant Daimler, namely Mercedes, in alphabetical order and marvel at everything that belongs to it.
1. American LaFrance
Owned by (D) Stern of Stuttgart, a traditional US fire truck manufacturer founded in 1873? heard! Just like Ford’s US truck division, which was renamed Sterling at the time, American LaFrance was acquired by Daimler and later fell victim to the restructuring of the US truck business like Sterling. An investor snatched it up in 2005, but without Daimler behind it, it was finished in 2008.
2. AMG
For a long time AMG was the unofficial official tuner of Mercedes and made icons such as the “Rote Sau” race car (image). While Mercedes forbade other tuners from delivering cars with stars on the hood, AMG (and later the official smart tuner Brabus) were so famous that they were allowed. What could be more obvious than turning the three strong letters into a sports brand, founded in 1967? The subsidiary – today Mercedes-AMG – has been the Mercedes sports brand since 1998.
3.Audi
Is it Audi? Yes Audi! He explains it simplified (here the whole complicated story): In 1958, Daimler bought Auto Union along with the dying two-stroke brand DKW. Mercedes developed a modern car with a four-stroke engine for a reboot, but sold it to VW in 1965 with the rights to the dead Auto Union brand Audi. VW wants to produce Beetles in DKW, but the new DKW is ready. So it should start right away just because of the DKW reputation rather than Audi. The first post-war Audi 60/75/90 (picture) starts in 1965. Today, thanks to VW, Audi is truly an established luxury brand.
4.Chrysler
Will you marry a partner who thinks completely differently and has bigger concerns to solve your own problems? Daimler even sacrificed the “-Benz” part of the name to become DaimlerChrysler in 1998. Billions go there, savings rounds provide quality idiots at Mercedes. The partners are strangers to each other and customers with cars like the Mercedes SLK clone Chrysler Crossfire (pic). In 2007, Daimler divorced. Chrysler is penniless and survives only on billions of dollars from the US government. Two years later, Fiat steps in. The irony of history: Fiat-Chrysler (FCA) mainly survived Chrysler’s subsidiaries Dodge, Jeep and Ram. In 2021, FCA merged with PSA to form Stellantis.
5. Cargo ship
As the world’s largest truck and bus manufacturer, Daimler commands US trucks alongside the commercial vehicle brands of Mercedes, BharatBenz (India), Mitsubishi’s truck division Fuso (Japan) and Setra (Germany): In addition to Western Star, traditional brand Freightliner. He was struggling to survive when Daimler took over in 1981. Today, it is the largest heavy truck manufacturer in North America.
6. Maybach
Mercedes revived the Maybach brand to counter Bentley (VW) and Rolls-Royce (BMW). However, something that might once have been as great as a Mercedes like a 600 government car didn’t have as much appeal as the Maybach. No one knew the brand buried in 1941 and the car (picture) indicated it must have been a Mercedes. It ended ten years later, in 2012. A big fiasco. But: Today Maybach is a success! As Mercedes-Maybach not with their own cars, but with luxury Mercedes models, especially long-wheelbase versions of the S-Class or the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 SUV.
7.Mercedes
As the world’s first automobile manufacturer (1886), Mercedes-Benz brought many things on the road: the crush zone safety cell, the first electronic ABS, the first mass-produced airbag, the ESP, the first diesel car, the first turbodiesel car, yes even that first luxury station wagon (property model 1977, picture). Unbeatable until the 1980s, Mercedes has now rebounded after the crises of the 1990s and 2000s and is now vying with BMW for global luxury market leadership. The irony: In 1959, Daimler nearly bought the then-bankrupt BMW brand.
8.Mitsubishi
In the late 1990s, Mitsubishi fell ill and threatened its very existence. Daimler (then as DaimlerChrysler) captured the Japanese in 2001. But more and more hidden losses and scandals came to light: Mitsubishi seemed to be over, Daimler left the Mitsubishi Fuso truck division (which is still owned by Daimler today) and re-emerged in 2004. But Mitsubishi struggled with, among other things, the first 4×4 plug-in hybrid SUV, the Outlander, and is doing well in Asia today and is now part of the Renault-Nissan group of companies. Things are more difficult in Europe, so the future of the brand is uncertain here.
9. MV Augusta
Italian motorcycle brand Ducati announced in 2011 that it would soon belong to Daimler – but at the last moment it went to Volkswagen (more precisely, to Audi subsidiary Lamborghini). What a disgrace! Motorcycles were in vogue, now Audi had some, and still there was BMW. Daimler immediately grabbed the big name MV Agusta via AMG. Three years later, Daimler hit the road again in 2017: Italians and Swabians never came to an agreement. And MV Augusta? Build motorcycles.
10.Smart
First, VW had to implement the Swiss idea, but then it got out of Swatch-Mobile. That’s how the idea came to Daimler and it became Smart. The Fortwo got off to a good start, but while ideal for that, it was too late to go electric, and like the four-door Forfour, the Roadster (Image: Roadster-Coupé) didn’t succeed. The latest Fortwo release was not well received for its design, with losses increasing. Since 2019, semi-owned by Geely from China, Daimler’s main shareholder, Smart has grown into an electrical brand and is off to a fresh start with No.
11. Thomas Built Buses
Daimler head of design Gorden Wagener (51) sometimes adds with a smile when he talks about group brands: Yes, there is a group brand in Daimler where Daimler-style design is not an issue – because Daimler subsidiary Thomas Built Buses produces the typical yellow US school buses!
Source: Blick
I’m Ella Sammie, author specializing in the Technology sector. I have been writing for 24 Instatnt News since 2020, and am passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry.
