Mercedes-Benz more or less invented the car. The company traces its roots to the Mercedes brand (1901) by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (1890 – 1926) and the Benz Patent-Motorwagen (1886) by Karl Benz. The latter is considered the very first car with an internal combustion engine ever. Since then, Mercedes-Benz has become one of the largest and most prestigious brands in the world.
The auto industry owes a lot of innovations to Mercedes-Benz. Among other things, the brand introduced the first passenger car with a diesel engine, the first car with direct injection, the first ABS system and the first series production model with airbags. In the process, electronic systems were introduced especially on the various generations of S-Class that are now standard on almost every car.
Mercedes-Benz has a rich history in Belgium dating back to the early 20th century. The company began selling cars in Belgium in the 1920s. During World War II, Mercedes-Benz operations in Belgium were interrupted, but after the war the company resumed operations and began to strengthen its position in the Belgian market.