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''('''Mercedes''' redirects here. There is also a place in Texas by that name; see [[Mercedes, Texas]].)''
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<tr><td>[[Image:Mercedessimplex1_k.jpg|Mercedes Simplex]]<br>
<center><small>''A Mercedes Simplex 1906 in<br> the [[Deutsches Museum]]''<br>[[Media:Mercedessimplex1.jpg|Larger version]]</small></center></td>
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[[image:mercedes.s320.bristol300pix.jpg]]<br>
<small>''A [[Mercedes-Benz S-Class]] (model year 2000 or later)''<br>
[[media:mercedes.s320.bristol750pix.jpg|Larger version<br>]]<br>
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'''Mercedes-Benz''' is a [[brand]] of [[automobile]]s and [[truck]]s from the [[DaimlerChrysler]] company (formerly known as [[Daimler-Benz]]), commonly known as '''Mercedes'''.

From the origin of the company in [[1926]], Mercedes-Benz vehicles have been expensive, some very expensive and rare, justifying their cost with an image (mostly justified) of superior engineering, quality, and service. They have often been the vehicles of choice of the rich and famous - the <I>Grosser</I> limousine of the [[1930s]] is now indelibly associated with the Nazi government of the time. Though mainly known for their luxury limousines, they have also produced some notable sports cars, including the early [[Mercedes SSK|SSK]], and [[Mercedes 300SL|300SL]] in [[1955]].

Their products have been known for the introduction of advanced technologies to cars&mdash;notably [[fuel injection]] and [[Anti-lock_brake|anti-lock braking systems]], amongst others.

Mercedes-Benz was formed in [[1926]] with the merger of the Daimler and Benz companies, which since [[1886]] had independently produced cars. Cars for the Daimler company were named Mercedes around the turn of the [[20th century]]. The origin of this name is one Emil Jellinek, who after suggesting some design modifications, promised the company a large order on condition that he was granted the exclusive Daimler concession for [[Austria-Hungary]], [[France]], [[Belgium]] and [[USA]], and that he would sell the cars as Mercedes, the name of his daughter.

The brand's logo is a three-pointed star (land-sea-air) enclosed in a circle.  Three  main figures were involved in creating the Mercedes-Benz: [[Karl Benz]], [[Gottlieb Daimler]] and [[Wilhelm Maybach]].

==Trivia==

Mercedes-Benz claims all of the [[wood]] used in its modern automobiles is [[farm-raised]]. This claim has not been confirmed at this time.

[[Michael McClure]]'s song "Mercedes-Benz", famously sung ''[[a capella]]'' by [[Janis Joplin]], was intended as a gentle satire on [[materialism]], but has actually been used in the company's advertising.

Mercedes-Benz was the most popular brand name mentioned in [[List of most frequently mentioned brands in the Billboard Top 20|Billboard Top 20 songs]] in [[2003]].

==Automobiles offered in the [[USA]]==

The following is a list of automobiles offered (or soon to be offered) by Mercedes-Benz in the USA [[as of 2003]].
*[[Mercedes-Benz C-Class|C-Class]]
*[[Mercedes-Benz CL-Class|CL-Class]]
*[[Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class|CLK-Class]]
*[[Mercedes-Benz E-Class|E-Class]]
*[[Mercedes-Benz G-Class|G-Class]]
*[[Mercedes-Benz M-Class|M-Class]]
*[[Mercedes-Benz S-Class|S-Class]]
*[[Mercedes-Benz SL-Class|SL-Class]]
*[[Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class|SLK-Class]]
*[[Mercedes-Benz SLR|SLR]]
(Mercedes-Benz U.S.A.)

==References==
*Mercedes-Benz U.S.A. ''Mercedes-Benz''. Retrieved December 21, 2003 from http://www.mbusa.com/brand/index.jsp

==External links==
*[http://www.mercedes-benz.com/ Mercedes-Benz Global Home]
*[http://www.daimlerchrysler.com/ Daimler Chrysler web site]

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====References====
* Adapted from the [[Wikipedia]] article, "Mercedes-Benz" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz], used under the [[GNU Free Documentation License]]