On this day in 1902, the German automaker Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) officially registers “Mercedes” as its brand name…full legal protection for the name will be granted the following September.
In 1899, mechanical engineer Gottlieb Daimler sold his inaugural luxury gasoline-powered automobile to the Moroccan sultan; a year later, he established DMG in Cannstatt, Germany, his hometown. Emil Jellinek, a well-known Austrian diplomat and businessperson who was quite passionate about automobile advancements, placed an order for a vehicle from Daimler in 1897.
Upon delivery, the carmaker provided a six-horsepower two-cylinder engine vehicle, but it did not meet Jellinek’s speed expectations; he subsequently ordered two of the quicker four-cylinder Daimler Phoenix model. Shortly thereafter, Jellinek began to market Daimler vehicles to elite clientele and participated in racing events, including Nice Week on the French Riviera, in 1899, entering these competitions under the alias “Mercedes,” inspired by his elder daughter’s name.
In April 1900, Jellinek formalized a contract with DMG to distribute and sell a new series of four-cylinder cars. He recommended the name Mercedes, believing a name that wasn’t distinctly German would resonate better with the French market. On December 22, 1900, DMG delivered the initial Mercedes to Jellinek. Designed by DMG’s chief engineer Wilhelm Maybach, this 35-horsepower vehicle included features like a pressed-steel chassis, a honeycomb radiator, mechanical intake valves, and an upgraded gearbox, reaching speeds of 53 mph. Due to this blend of features, the 1901 Mercedes is recognized as the first genuinely modern automobile.
During the March 1901 Nice Week, Mercedes racing cars dominated the competition, leading to a surge in orders at DMG’s Cannstatt facility. “Mercedes” was officially registered as a brand name on June 22, 1902, and was granted legal protection on September 26 of the same year. In June 1903, Emil Jellinek received approval to adopt the name Jellinek-Mercedes, noting it was “probably the first time a father has carried the name of his daughter.”
The iconic Mercedes emblem, a three-pointed star, was registered as a trademark in 1909 and became a standard feature on all Mercedes vehicles starting from 1910.
The star’s origin can be traced back to a memory that Paul and Adolf Daimler, Gottlieb Daimler’s sons and DMG executives, had of their father, who passed away in 1900.
On a postcard depicting Cologne and Deutz, where he was then working at the Deutz engine factory, the elder Daimler had illustrated a star above the residence he occupied. In the postcard’s message, he communicated to his wife that the star symbolized the prosperity they could expect in the future, forecasting the time when he would establish his own factory.
