Mercedes-Benz Group

What does Mercedes-Benz Group own?
Mercedes-Benz Group AG owns the Mercedes-Benz passenger car brand, including the Mercedes-AMG performance sub-brand, Mercedes-Maybach ultra-luxury vehicles, and the Mercedes-EQ electric vehicle lineup. The company also owns Mercedes-Benz Vans, which produces the Sprinter, Vito, and V-Class commercial vans. Smart is operated as a joint venture with Geely in China.

Is Mercedes-Benz Group publicly traded?
Yes, Mercedes-Benz Group AG is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under ticker MBG. The company was created in February 2022 when Daimler AG split into Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Daimler Truck AG. Significant shareholders include BAIC Group (approximately 9.98%), Geely Holding (approximately 9.7%), and Kuwait Investment Authority (approximately 6.8%).

Who founded Mercedes-Benz?
The Mercedes-Benz brand traces its origins to Karl Benz, who received the patent for the world's first gasoline-powered automobile in 1886, and Gottlieb Daimler, who independently developed a gasoline engine and vehicle in the same period. Daimler-Benz AG was formed in 1926 through the merger of their respective companies. The Mercedes name was first used in 1901, named after the daughter of automobile enthusiast Emil Jellinek.

Where is Mercedes-Benz Group headquartered?
Mercedes-Benz Group AG is headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company's primary manufacturing facilities are in the Stuttgart metropolitan area, including plants in Untertürkheim, Sindelfingen, Bremen, and Rastatt. Mercedes-Benz also operates manufacturing facilities in the United States (Tuscaloosa, Alabama), China, Hungary, India, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, and Spain.

How many brands does Mercedes-Benz Group own?
Mercedes-Benz Group operates under the core Mercedes-Benz brand with several sub-brands: Mercedes-AMG (performance), Mercedes-Maybach (ultra-luxury), and Mercedes-EQ (electric vehicles). The company also operates Mercedes-Benz Vans as a separate business unit. Smart is operated as a joint venture with Geely. The group sold approximately 2.4 million passenger cars globally in 2024.

Who owns Mercedes-Benz Group?
Mercedes-Benz Group AG is publicly traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange with a broadly distributed shareholder base. Significant shareholders include BAIC Group (approximately 9.98%), Geely Holding (approximately 9.7%), and Kuwait Investment Authority (approximately 6.8%). No single shareholder holds a controlling stake. The remaining shares are held by institutional investors and public shareholders worldwide.

The history of Mercedes-Benz traces to the very origins of the automobile. Karl Benz received a patent for his Benz Patent-Motorwagen in January 1886, widely regarded as the world's first true automobile powered by a gasoline engine. Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach independently developed their own gasoline engine and vehicle in 1885 and 1886.

Benz and Cie., Karl Benz's company, and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, founded by Gottlieb Daimler, operated as separate companies for decades. The Mercedes name was first used in 1901, when Emil Jellinek, an Austro-Hungarian diplomat and automobile enthusiast, commissioned a new racing car from Daimler and named it after his daughter Mercedes. The Mercedes brand became synonymous with performance and quality.

Daimler-Benz AG was formed in 1926 through the merger of Benz and Cie. and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft. The merged company produced vehicles under the Mercedes-Benz brand, combining the three-pointed star of Daimler with the laurel wreath of Benz.

During World War II, Daimler-Benz produced aircraft engines and military vehicles using forced labor, a period that remains a significant part of the company's historical record. The company rebuilt its manufacturing operations after the war and resumed civilian vehicle production.

Mercedes-Benz established its reputation for engineering excellence in the postwar decades through innovations in safety technology, including the crumple zone (1959), anti-lock braking system (ABS, 1978), and airbags (1981). The company's S-Class sedan became the benchmark for luxury automotive technology.

In 1998, Daimler-Benz merged with Chrysler Corporation to form DaimlerChrysler, one of the largest automotive mergers in history. The merger was intended to create a global automotive powerhouse but was widely regarded as unsuccessful. Cultural and strategic differences between the German and American operations proved difficult to reconcile, and Chrysler was sold to Cerberus Capital Management in 2007 for approximately $7.4 billion, a fraction of its acquisition price.

Following the Chrysler divestiture, Daimler AG refocused on its core Mercedes-Benz and commercial vehicle businesses. The company acquired a significant stake in Aston Martin in 2013 and expanded its partnership with Renault-Nissan. In 2020, Daimler AG announced the plan to split into two independent companies, which was completed in February 2022.

For full-year 2025, Mercedes-Benz Group reported revenue of approximately €132.2 billion and adjusted EBIT of approximately €8.2 billion, both declining from 2024 levels, reflecting challenging market conditions particularly in China and the cost of the electrification transition.

Mercedes-Benz, as part of the broader Daimler group, was implicated in the Dieselgate emissions scandal that primarily affected Volkswagen Group. German authorities investigated Daimler for alleged defeat device use in its diesel vehicles, and the company paid approximately €870 million to settle German regulatory proceedings in 2019.

The company's use of forced labor during World War II has been documented and acknowledged. Mercedes-Benz has established a foundation that supports historical research and education about this period.

Mercedes-Benz has also faced scrutiny regarding the pace of its electric vehicle transition and its continued investment in internal combustion engine development, with some environmental groups arguing the company's electrification commitments are insufficient.