Mercedes-Benz

==Innovations==
Numerous technological innovations have been introduced on Mercedes-Benz automobiles throughout the many years of their production, including:
* The [[internal combustion engine]] automobile was developed independently by Benz and Daimler & Maybach in 1886.
* Daimler invented the honeycomb radiator of the type still used on all water-cooled vehicles today.
* Daimler invented the float [[carburetor]] which was used until replaced by [[fuel injection]].
* The "drop chassis" – the car originally designated the "Mercedes" by Daimler was also the first car with a modern configuration, having the carriage lowered and set between the front and rear wheels, with a [[Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout|front engine]] and [[rear-wheel drive|powered rear wheels]]. All earlier cars were "horseless carriages", which had high centres of gravity and various engine/drive-train configurations.
* The first passenger road car to have [[brake]]s on all four wheels (1924).<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.roadsafe.com/magazine/2007spring/manufacturers.html |title=Magazine |publisher=Roadsafe.com |access-date=26 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201112125/http://www.roadsafe.com/magazine/2007spring/manufacturers.html |archive-date=1 December 2008 }}</ref>
* In 1936, the [[Mercedes-Benz 260 D]] was the first diesel-powered passenger car.
* Mercedes-Benz were the first to offer direct fuel injection on the [[Mercedes-Benz 300SL]] Gullwing.
* The "safety cage" or "[[automobile safety|safety cell]]" construction with front and rear [[crumple zones]] was first developed by Mercedes-Benz in 1951. This is considered by many as the most important innovation in automobile construction from a safety standpoint.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web |url=http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2005/03/11/010089.html |title=Mercedes-Benz Safety Innovations |publisher=Theautochannel.com |date=13 September 2010 |access-date=26 September 2010 |archive-date=2 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402120531/https://www.theautochannel.com/news/2005/03/11/010089.html |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Verify source|date=September 2009}}
* In 1959, Mercedes-Benz patented a device that prevents drive wheels from spinning by intervening at the engine, transmission, or brakes. In 1987, Mercedes-Benz applied for its patent by introducing a [[traction control system]] that worked under both braking and acceleration.
* An [[anti-lock braking system]] (ABS) was first offered on the W116 450SEL 6.9. They became standard on the W126 S-Class starting production in 1979 and first sold in most markets in 1980.
* [[Airbag]]s were first introduced in the European market, beginning with the model year 1981 S-Class.
* Mercedes-Benz was the first to introduce pre-tensioners to [[seat belt]]s on the 1981 S-Class. In the event of a crash, a pre-tensioner will tighten the belt instantaneously, removing any 'slack' in the belt, which prevents the occupant from jerking forward in a crash.
* In September 2003, Mercedes-Benz introduced the world's first seven-speed [[automatic transmission]] called '[[7G-Tronic]]'.
* [[electronic stability control|Electronic Stability Programme]] (ESP), [[brake assist]],<ref>[http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Jun06/22_Mercedes_Debuts_PRE_SAFE_Brake_System_1.html Mercedes Introduces PRE-SAFE Brake Safety System] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080124144753/http://www.emercedesbenz.com/Jun06/22_Mercedes_Debuts_PRE_SAFE_Brake_System_1.html |date=24 January 2008 }} Posted on 22 June 2006, The Unofficial Mercedes-Benz Weblog</ref> and many other types of safety equipment were all developed, tested, and implemented into passenger cars – first – by Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz has licensed some of its innovations for use by competitors. As a result, crumple zones and ABS are now standard on all modern vehicles.<ref name="autogenerated2"/>{{verify source|date=September 2009}}
[[File:Mercedes-Benz M156 Engine 02.JPG|thumb|Mercedes M156 engine]]
* The [[Mercedes-Benz W211|(W211) E320 CDI]] which has a [[variable geometry turbocharger]] (VGT) 3.0-litre [[V6 engine|V6]] [[common rail]] diesel engine (producing {{convert|224|hp|abbr=on|disp=or}}), set three world [[endurance]] records. It covered {{convert|100000|mi|km}} in a record time, with an average speed of {{convert|224.823|km/h|2|abbr=on}}. Three identical cars did the endurance run (one set above record) and the other two cars set world records for time taken to cover {{convert|100000|km|0}} and {{convert|50000|mi|km}} respectively. After all three cars had completed the run, their combined distance was {{convert|300000|mi|km}} (all records were FIA approved).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=105638 |title=New Mercedes Diesel Engine Breaks World Endurance Record |publisher=Edmunds.com |access-date=29 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923201841/http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId%3D105638 |archive-date=23 September 2009}}</ref>{{clarify|whats the innovation on this?|date=June 2011}}
* Mercedes-Benz pioneered a system called [[Pre-Safe]] to detect an imminent crash – and prepares the car's safety systems to respond optimally. It also calculates the optimal braking force required to avoid an accident in emergency situations and makes it immediately available for when the driver depresses the brake pedal. Occupants are also prepared by tightening the seat belt, closing the sunroof and windows, and moving the seats into the optimal position.
* At 181 horsepower per litre, the M133 engine installed in Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG was (as of June 2013) the most powerful series-production four-cylinder turbocharged motor, and has one of the highest power densities of a passenger vehicle.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mercedes-amg.com/webspecial/a45/index_eng.php |title=Performance: AMG 2.0-Liter Turbo Engine |access-date=6 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516101508/http://www.mercedes-amg.com/webspecial/a45/index_eng.php |archive-date=16 May 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Mercedes-Benz won the Safety Award at the 2007 ''What Car?'' Awards.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

===Robot cars===
{{main|Driverless car}}
In the 1980s Mercedes built the world's first robot car, together with the team of Professor [[Ernst Dickmanns]] at [[Bundeswehr University Munich]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.idsia.ch/~juergen/robotcars.html |first=Jürgen |last=Schmidhuber |title=Prof. Schmidhuber's highlights of robot car history |year=2009 |access-date=15 July 2011 |archive-date=3 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303200320/http://www.idsia.ch/~juergen/robotcars.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> Encouraged in part by Dickmanns' success, in 1987 the European Union's [[EUREKA]] programme initiated the [[EUREKA Prometheus Project|Prometheus Project]] on autonomous vehicles, funded to the tune of nearly €800&nbsp;million. In 1995 Dickmanns' re-engineered autonomous [[Mercedes-Benz S-Class|S-Class]] Mercedes took a long trip from [[Munich]] in Bavaria to [[Copenhagen]] in Denmark, and back. On highways, the robot achieved speeds exceeding {{convert|175|km/h|abbr=on}} (permissible in some areas of the German [[Autobahn]]).

In October 2015, the company introduced the Vision Tokyo, a five-seat self-driving electric van powered by a hybrid hydrogen fuel-cell system. The super-sleek van is touted as "a chill-out zone in the midst of megacity traffic mayhem."<ref>{{cite web|title = Mercedes' Vision Tokyo Concept: A Self-Driving Rave Van|url = https://www.yahoo.com/autos/mercedes-benz-vision-tokyo-concept-031507979.html|website = www.yahoo.com/autos|access-date = 27 October 2015|archive-date = 20 November 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151120084800/https://www.yahoo.com/autos/mercedes-benz-vision-tokyo-concept-031507979.html|url-status = live}}</ref>