Automobiles are wheeled motor vehicles that are used for transportation. Most definitions include that they run on roads, seat one to eight passengers, and have four wheels. These vehicles are mainly used to move people from point A to point B. There are many different types of automobiles, including luxury ones, which are used for transporting business people or tourists.
Daimler’s connection to Otto Benz
Gottlieb Daimler was a German engineer. Born in Schorndorf, Wurttemberg, he started working as an apprentice for a gunsmith. During his apprenticeship, he met Wilhelm Maybach, an industrial designer and friend. Together they worked on new designs for engines. Daimler later worked for a company in Stuttgart where he met Nikolaus August Otto and Eugen Langen. The two worked together for ten years until Daimler was hired as the technical director of the company’s first production automobile.
Daimler was responsible for introducing the combustion engine. In 1885, Daimler and Maybach used the new engine to power a stagecoach, boat, and motorcycle. In 1892, they began selling cars. After a few years, Daimler and Maybach parted ways. In 1907, they merged their companies to form Daimler-Benz AG, which later became Chrysler.
Maybach’s connection to Daimler
The Maybach nameplate has a long connection to Daimler. The company has a long-standing relationship with the Maybach nameplate, but the company has yet to release a production model. While Mercedes-Benz is known for building luxury automobiles for the rich, the company opted to link the nameplate to its flagship S-Class. This move avoided massive development costs and a technology gap that would have been embarrassing to the company. It also allowed it to create stretch versions of its Pullman model, which joined the S500 and S550 Maybachs in markets around the world.
Daimler and Maybach began working together soon after the merger of Deutz-AG. In 1882, they purchased a summerhouse in Cannstatt and extended it with a brick extension to serve as a workshop. Eventually, neighbors began to report them as counterfeiters, which led to a police raid of their house. They discovered several engines inside the house, and the police arrested them.
Daimler’s connection to Henry Ford
Daimler was born in Germany and traces its roots to Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler. Benz invented the first internal combustion engine and was credited with launching the car industry. Daimler, however, made cars and trucks, and began producing diesel engines before World War I. Daimler eventually merged with Benz to create Daimler-Benz.
Before the merger, Daimler’s board consisted of Edward Manville, Percy Martin, and Ernest Instone. In 1921, Instone left the company and founded the auto dealer Stratton-Instone. Percy Martin replaced Manville as chairman. He fired Laurence Pomeroy, the managing director, in 1936 due to his inability to pay dividends.
Daimler-Benz was also involved in the development of aeroplanes. After the war, Searle was hired to design a 34-seater for Daimler. The model was equipped with a gearbox transmission. After World War II, Daimler reverted to omnibus sales, and sold hundreds of them to the London Underground and Metropolitan Electric Tramways.