Nowadays, almost every citizen recognizes among the many different badges that are present on cars, the Mercedes emblem. And this is not casual, because this car brand is widely known both in our country and in many countries of the world. Almost a hundred years have passed since the invention of this symbol, and its outline has practically not changed since that time. There are many legends about its origin.
First version. One of the legends says that the three rays symbolize the three main elements inherent in our planet.
Third version. This legend is considered the most reliable and convincing. According to her, the Mercedes company with a memorable badge appeared as a result of the merger of 2 Daimler and Benz companies. This happened not so long ago, in 1926. As a result of these significant events, the well-known star with three rays was born. True, in its first years of existence, three faces were surrounded by a laurel wreath, and after a while, in 1937, this symbol was greatly simplified, replacing the noble laurel with a simple circle. The new corporation named after its founders Daimler-Benz has developed and implemented the latest inventions in Mercedes cars with great success.
According to the rating agencies, which have done research, which brands are the most popular in the world, the Mercedes logo came in at number 11, not as good, but not as bad as expected. Apparently, Mercedes took not so high results due to its excessive high cost. Indeed, in Germany, this car brand is considered the most expensive. The firm achieved this success gradually, step by step, mastering new footholds and sales markets. If you ask any person what associations his name Mercedes evokes, then almost anyone will answer that words such as conservative style, impeccable quality, safety and elitism come to mind.
The Mercedes logo is considered one of the oldest. The three-pointed star was patented back in March 26, 1901, and was adopted as the logo of Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft in 1909. Then the company produced engines not only for cars, but also for ships and aviation. Therefore, the three ends of the star are a symbol of power over the three elements - earth, sea and air.
But the idea for a star is believed to have originated in 1880, when company founder Gottlieb Daimler drew it in a letter to his wife, marking the location of their home in Deutz. He believed that in the future, this three-pointed star would be depicted over the roof of his own car factory, symbolizing prosperity. Gottlieb was right, the company really thrived and does so to this day.
Also, according to one version, the three ends of the Mercedes star are three people who played a major role in the emergence of a car of this brand. Wilhelm Maybach is the inventor of internal combustion engines, Emil Jellinek is the Austrian consul and racer who financed and invested a lot of his own efforts in the development of the enterprise. Mercedes is the daughter of Jellinek, after whom the car was named.
There is another interesting version of the appearance of a three-pointed star. The beams of the star are the canes of Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach and Emil Jellinek, which they crossed in a quarrel. Then everyone bent his own line and could not agree on what logo the company would have. The situation was resolved by little Mercedes, who, at the time of the quarrel, screamed for the men to stop swearing, because the fate of the company was in their hands. Literally in their hands were walking sticks, which, when connected, depicted a three-pointed star.
There is also a version among consumers that the three-pointed star is a symbol of a woman with legs wide apart and arms outstretched upward. Just as in the past, figures of women-goddesses protecting the ship at sea were placed on the prows of ships, now Mercedes cars have a logo that protects the car on the roads.
Along with Mercedes in 1903, Karl Benz registered his logo - a steering wheel with a stylized BENZ inscription, and in 1909 he changed the wheel to a laurel wreath, which symbolized victories in car races.
In 1926, Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz merged to form Daimler-Benz AG and the logos were "connected" - the three-pointed star was entwined with a laurel wreath.
In 1937, the logo was simplified by removing the wreath. Now the star was just described in a circle. Since then, the emblem has not changed, only small variations in color design were allowed.
Today there are many brands of cars, each of which has its own logo. Each emblem is unique in its own way and is designed to uniquely highlight the brand, but few people think that they have a symbolic meaning. Few will be able to answer the simple question: "What does the Mercedes emblem mean?" Meanwhile, the answer lies on the surface, as does the meaning of most other brands' logos.
Mercedes
The Mercedes emblem is easily recognizable. It looks like a three-pointed star inscribed in a circle. The circle symbolizes world fame. The number of beams is no coincidence: three beams means that the company produces engines designed for use in three elements - on the ground, in the water and in the air.
Mercedes-Benz is a subsidiary of the Daimler company, which produced power units not only for cars and buses, but also for aircraft and for water transport.
The history of the appearance of the symbol is quite interesting. When the three founders of the company, Wilhelm Maybach, Gottlieb Daimler and Emil Ellinek thought about what the emblem of their cars should be, a dispute arose that almost turned into a quarrel.
It was proposed to use, among other things, the image of an elephant or an orange as a logo. The end of the dispute was put by the daughter of Emil Ellinek - Mercedes. She asked the co-founders sitting at the table not to quarrel and cross their canes - and this is how the famous three-pointed star appeared.
In 1929, the company merged with the Benz company, and a laurel wreath was added to the star, symbolizing the victory of Benz cars in races.
Opel
The emblem of Opel cars has the appearance of a lightning bolt. In this form, she first appeared in 1964. The logo owes its appearance to the Opel Blitz truck model (in German, blitz - lightning). The Blitz model was launched in 1930. 
A distinctive feature of these cars was their low weight and high speed. Opel Blitz became the most massive military truck of the Third Reich. The modern image of the emblem symbolizes lightning speed.
Audi
To understand the meaning of the four rings on the radiator grilles of Audi cars, it is necessary to turn to the history of the appearance of this emblem, and it is quite interesting. The company is named after its founder August Horch. The word "Horch" is translated from German "listen", and in Latin - audi. It would seem, why not just call the company Horch? 
Initially, the company was called just that, but after 10 years from the moment of opening, the founder of the company survived and was judicially prohibited from using his own surname as the name of the newly founded company. When August Horch was discussing the name of the new company with his business partner Franz Fikentscher, the latter's son, who was studying Latin, suggested the name Audi.
The four rings on the modern Audi emblem symbolize the merger of four companies:
- Audi Verke;
- Wanderer;
- August Horch Automobile Werke.
The original Audi emblem, inside each ring, depicted its own emblems of the enterprises that became part of the Audi union. Initially, only the company's racing cars were marked with this logo, while the rest were decorated with their own logos of manufacturers-members of the union.
Volvo
The name of the brand is of Latin origin, and in translation means "I roll." The company logo is a symbol of iron used in ancient times. It is one of the oldest and most famous depictions in Western culture. In ancient Rome, this sign was also identified with the god of war Mars, who always fought with iron weapons. 
The symbol of iron is not accidentally used as the emblem of the Volvo company.
- First of all, there is an association with the achievements of Swedish metallurgy.
- Secondly, this emblem is perceived by motorists as a symbol of reliability, durability and high quality.
The metal strip running diagonally through the entire radiator grille was initially of purely practical importance - a nameplate was mounted on it. Over time, it has become an integral and recognizable part of the company logo.
Skoda
The Skoda emblem appeared in 1926. The logo of the cars of the Czech manufacturer, which to many resembles an Indian with feathers on his head, is actually nothing more than a winged arrow.
The Skoda emblem is made in the best marketing traditions, its elements have the following meaning:
- wing - a wide range of activities;
- eye - high accuracy;
- arrow - striving forward, towards perfection;
- the circle framing the logo - distribution of the company's products around the world;
- the green color of the logo symbolizes the company's respect for the environment.
Toyota
There are several versions of what the Toyota emblem means.
According to one of them, two mutually perpendicular ovals, located inside the third, are a symbolic image of a thread threaded into the eye of a needle. This version is adhered to by those who know that from the moment of its foundation until the thirties of the last century, Toyota was engaged in the production of looms.
According to the second version, three ovals symbolize the unity of three components of success: customers, product and idea. Some even manage to read the name of the company in these ovals. However, in fact, according to the official book on the history of the company, the crossed ovals inside the large one mean close interaction between the company and the customers, and in addition, they form the letter "T". The large oval means endless possibilities.
Subaru
It is the first Japanese company to take its name in its native language. Translated into Russian, it means "to unite" or "to gather together." In addition, Subaru is the Japanese name for the star cluster in the constellation Taurus, known to us as the Pleiades. 
It is estimated that this cluster includes about three thousand stars, but a person can see no more than fourteen with the naked eye. The most striking are only six, which is reflected in the emblem of Subaru cars. In addition, the Fuji Heavy Industries concern, which produces Subaru cars, was also formed through the merger of six companies.
Chevrolet
One of the most concise emblems is placed on the radiator grilles of Chevrolet cars. By its appearance, it resembles a bow tie. Co-founder Louis Chevrolet was a racing driver. He won his first race in 1905. Then he set a world record, covering a distance of one mile in 52.8 seconds. Since that time, a continuous series of his victories in races taking place on the American continent began. He won worldwide fame and became a racing star.
William Durant, the second co-founder of the company, inspired by the successes of Louis Chevrolet, proposed to name the company under his name. The logo was invented by Durant himself; there are several versions of his birth, which have not been reliably confirmed by anything. It symbolizes the success of the eminent driver.
Today, perhaps, there are very few people who have not seen the Mercedes brand at least once, or, in extreme cases, have not heard of this legendary German car brand with a very memorable emblem. But how many people know why exactly this is and where it came from.
We will try to tell our readers the story of the creation of this brand, which today is one of the most expensive and prestigious in the field of mechanical engineering on our planet.
In 1880, entrepreneur Gottlieb Daimler decorated the wall of his own house with a three-pointed star, using it as a talisman. The star became the logo of Daimler Motoren Gessellschaft only in 1909. It was a symbol of the use of Daimler engines in the air, on land and in water, as the company also produced aircraft and marine engines. It is interesting that in the same year the logo of the four-pointed star was registered, but, as you can see, it was not popular.
The name "Mercedes" owes its appearance to the daughter of Wilhelm Maybach, whose name was Mercedes. An interesting fact is that the Latin root of the word "mercy" literally translated as "profit, reward", then "redemption".
The creator of the first car with a gasoline engine, Karl Benz, registered his trademark in 1903 - the steering wheel, which was replaced by a laurel wreath in 1909.
In 1926, the Benz and Daimler companies merged to form the world famous Daimler-Benz AG. The united emblem is the three-pointed Mercedes Benz star in a laurel wreath or in a circle.
According to the rating of the consulting agency InterBrand, the Mercedes brand is ranked 11th in the world. Also, this car brand is the most expensive in Germany. The Mercedes brand has been created for over a hundred years. Consciously or unconsciously, the creators of the brand filled it with a certain meaning, which was entrenched forever. The associations that this car evokes are invariable: quality, conservatism, reliability, prestige and safety.
By the way, if you are the happy owner of a car of the above brand, then you can find out its actual value directly without leaving your home, using such an interesting Internet service as "online car appraisal", with which you can at any time find out what the monetary equivalent represents your favorite "MERS". Although, even if you own a car of another delusion, this service can still help you in assessing the car.
The Mercedes sign is known to all people today. Even those who are poorly versed in the topic of cars. Mercedes-Benz is a world famous concern, and the cars produced by it have established themselves as luxurious, expensive and of high quality. And on the hood of each model is a three-pointed star. What does it mean? How did this symbol come about? It is worth understanding.
date
The Mercedes sign appeared in 1925. It arose shortly before the merger of the two companies - DMG and Benz & Cie. The firms merged a year later, in 1926. And the new enterprise became known as Daimler-Benz AG. This event subsequently marked the emergence of a new automotive brand. It is known today as Mercedes-Benz. Along with the emergence of this company, the co-founders also had a desire to preserve their traditions.
Interestingly, the logo itself was registered as a trademark in 1909, on August 6. And what is most interesting, the laurel wreath and the "Mercedes" star have completely independent origins.
History
Back in 1886, they did not even know about the existence of each other. But it was in that year that both entrepreneurs created their own cars powered by an internal combustion engine. Then they registered their own trademarks. And again, at the same time - in the summer of 1909. The two companies seemed to be competitors for each other in advance. Their founders set a certain direction for development and began to use the newly minted emblems on the machines they produced.
But then, as mentioned above, the companies merged. And a common logo appeared - a three-pointed Mercedes star and a Benz laurel wreath. Although Daimler still used a different version of the emblem when creating its cars. On the hood just adorned the inscription "Daimler", and above it, as if hovering a mythical phoenix.
The emergence of the trade name: the story of "Daimler"
So, later it will be possible to talk in more detail about the Mercedes sign, but now it is worth saying a few words about the name. Regardless of how exactly the founding company was called - DMG or Daimler, the cars had to be called somehow. Therefore, the company reached an agreement in 1900 with a man like Emil Jellinek. He was involved in the sale of innovative engines and cars. And at that time Jellinek was the largest dealer of cars produced by DMG. He, in fact, gave the name to the machines. Mercedes was his nickname, which he used to participate in races. But in fact, later it turned out that this is the name of his beloved daughter.
So in 1902, on June 23, the Daimler company applied for the registration of this name as a personal trademark. And after three months, the brand found legal protection. New was the inscription "Mercedes", curved like an arc.
Benz trademark
Since the Mercedes sign, which we all know today, has a “double” history, the attention should also be paid to the Benz company. Or rather, how she advertised herself at the beginning of the last, XX century.
The founder made everything simple - he created a memorable one. It was an inscription on which the words Original BENZ flaunted. It was decided to put it inside a black cogwheel. It looked very impressive and really remembered well. Then, however, the last part became the central element of the emblem - they decided to remove the Original prefix. And the black cogwheel was replaced with a laurel wreath, which is a symbol of victory. And since the company achieved considerable success at that time in the production of cars, it was very symbolic.
Becoming a star
The history of the Mercedes sign is very rich and complex. After all, the company itself comes from two companies, so the trade mark, respectively, could not but undergo changes.
The formation of the recognizable three-pointed star began shortly after the adoption of the name "Mercedes". The idea was proposed by Paul Daimler, who is the son of the founder of the company who went to the next world in 1900. The three-pointed star has become a symbol that Damyler engines are used everywhere - on land, in the air and in water. After all, the power units that the company produced went to aviation, ships, and cars.
Initially, the star did not have a ring, which is now difficult to imagine. It appeared in 1916. It became much more convenient to place the Mercedes sign on the hood, and besides, it looked much more organic. And then, after another five years, it was decided to add a star in a wide ring - it was placed on the radiator.
And after the merger of Daimler and Benz, in addition to the names, it was also decided to combine their logos. From each trade mark was taken something different, special. Daimler left the star, and the head of Benz proposed to enclose it in a laurel wreath. The decision was made, so that in 1927, on October 7, the name Mercedes-Benz and the three-pointed star enclosed in a wreath ring with the company name inside were officially assigned to the new company.
Many people wonder what the Mercedes sign means. The answer was given above - this logo embodies the fact that the company's engines were used in aviation, in the navy and in cars. But many people decided, as they say, to dig deeper. And some of the information turned out to be very interesting.
So, the circle is a symbol of movement, protection, prosperity and concentrated energy. Another circle is eternity. Maybe it’s an accident, but people who drive Mercedes are successful, energetic and self-confident.
And what does the Mercedes sign, that is, the three-pointed star, mean? It turned out, and you can see something special in it. This sign is related to In other words, it is an all-seeing eye, a symbol of fate. In many nations, this symbol means tremendous strength, power, strong spirit. This can also be reflected in the "Mercedes" - after all, we all know perfectly well how fast, powerful, dynamic and reliable these cars are.
And finally, the number of rays itself is three. You can talk about him for a long time, delving into numerology and esotericism, but this does not apply to the topic. So only one thing can be said. Number three is a synonym for excess, prosperity, abundance. "Three" - striving, sometimes even greatness, success. This figure is more than magical. And definitely, all of the above is reflected in such an emblem as the Mercedes car sign. People who know what these cars are will of course agree.
Location of the emblem
There are always two “Mercedes” emblems on the hood. Today there are several options. On the example of the “five hundredth”, popular in the 90s, one can see that a three-rayed star in a ring proudly rises on the hood, and a little lower, at the very top of the radiator grill - the same sign, but enclosed in a laurel wreath and with the name of the company.
Now more and more often there are models with a large star in the ring in the middle of the grille. But nevertheless, a sign with a wreath also modestly flaunts on their hood. There are options (usually tuning) that combine two prominent options at once. The star on the bonnet in the ring and on the grille is in the middle. In general, there are a lot of options. But in any case, there is always a star on a Mercedes. If this is perhaps something that did not come off the conveyors of this tuning studio, they often have a stylish three-dimensional letter B instead of a star on the grill. Although everyone still knows that this is a Mercedes.
Long-term success
"Mercedes-Benz" is a sign that carries not only a certain meaning, which was described above. From a normal human point of view, this is an incredibly expensive brand. Today its value is more than 16.505 billion euros! And this concern was unanimously recognized as the best German brand. And the most expensive, of course. And this is not surprising. The brand has been forming for over a hundred years. Over the years, a huge amount of effort, money and nerves of its creators, developers, specialists in various industries has been invested in the brand. More than one hundred people tried to make "Mercedes" not just a car brand, but a legend. And it succeeded. Today people, seeing a person who drives a car of this brand, understand that he has money. He is successful and wealthy. He is probably confident in himself and in his abilities. Because only such a person can afford a car of the highest German quality. These cars are elite, expensive, reliable, prestigious, safe, comfortable, exquisite on the inside and stunning on the outside. And of course, technically perfect. Here's what can be said about Mercedes cars.
