Even a small child today imagines what a Mercedes car badge looks like. The famous three-pointed star has changed little over the period of the company's development and today it is one of the most recognizable logos in the world. However, despite the wide popularity of this emblem, few people know what the meaning of the Mercedes badge is.
Moreover, the answer to this question is ambiguous and has several rather convincing theories, so the Mercedes emblem is covered with a certain veil of secrecy. Below we will present you the most interesting and unusual versions of the origin of this symbol.
Airbender
Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft in its early years, when it was first founded by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, was not yet engaged in mass production of cars. The company was generally conceived by the founders as a manufacturer of efficient internal combustion engines that would be used not only for ground vehicles, but also for ships and aircraft. According to this version, the three rays of the star, which to this day adorn the Mercedes logo, mean the three elements in the direction of which the company planned to develop: earth, water and air.
Convinced dreamer
This story dates back to an even earlier time, when the previously mentioned company had not yet been born. There is a legend that at the time when Daimler became the technical director of the Deutz plant in Cologne, he decorated the wall of his house with a three-pointed star, and was very respectful to it. Once he told his wife that someday this star will rise above his own plant and will mean the heyday of his business. Indeed, after some time, this symbol began to be used as a corporate badge for Mercedes.
Three-edged stick
At the beginning of its journey, the company was engaged only in the production of engines. However, after a while, the company produces several racing cars under a contract with Emil Ellinek. These cars were a huge success, which is why DMG launches series production of cars under the Mercedes brand.
At that time, the brand had three owners - Daimler, Maybach and Ellinek himself. The latter was sure that the right to choose a logo would remain with him, since he gave a lot to this car brand and even the brand got its name in honor of his daughter. Daimler and Maybach did not share this opinion, which resulted in a conflict. Three of them in a fit put their canes forward, and the resulting picture was very impressed with them. The meaning of this sign is the unity of the company.
Winners symbol
Observant people know that for a long time the Mercedes sign was not just a three-pointed star circled in a circle. The fact is that the emblem depicted a laurel wreath that surrounded this star. The origin of this symbol is also quite interesting. Following the success of the Mercedes car in the series of races, the owners of the company decided to commemorate this by adding a laurel wreath to their logo representing the winners.
What does the Mercedes emblem mean?
The history of the Mercedes emblem dates back to 1880. Then the entrepreneur Gottlieb Daimler painted a three-pointed star on the wall of his house, accompanied by the inscription "A star will rise over this place and, I hope, bless all of us and our children." In 1909, the three-pointed star was approved as the logo of Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, which produced, in addition to cars, marine and aircraft engines. Thus, the star symbolized the use of Daimler engines on land, in water and in the air, or, if you will, the company's superiority in these three elements. By the way, in 1909, two stars were registered as trademarks at the same time - with three and four rays, but later only the three-ray symbol began to be used.
Karl Benz, the creator of the world's first gasoline-powered car, registered his company's trademark - the steering wheel - in 1903, and replaced it with a laurel wreath in 1909. After the merger of the Daimler and Benz companies in 1926 and the formation of Daimler-Benz AG, the star was inscribed in the laurel wreath, and the emblem acquired its modern form - a three-pointed star in a circle - in 1937. True, in our time, in some cases, a laurel wreath surrounds a star.
Three rays of the star, according to the second and most famous version of the appearance of this symbol, denote the names of three people involved in the creation of the Mercedes car - Wilhelm Maybach, Emil Jellinek and his daughter Mercedes. The "king of designers" Maybach stood at the origins of the transport internal combustion engine. The Austrian consul Jellinek, a car enthusiast and passionate racer, has invested a lot of material resources and mental strength to make the engines of the cars more and more powerful, and the company that produced them flourished. Jellinek's daughter Mercedes “donated” her name to the car.
The first version of the appearance of the Mercedes emblem looks more believable and organic than the second, although there is another story associated with the three-pointed star - strange, but therefore no less romantic. They say that a female figure is inscribed in a circle - imagine a girl with her legs wide apart and her arms raised above her head. Remember, in ancient times, a woman's head or figure was carved on the bow of a ship, and this woman-idol was considered the keeper of the ship? Likewise, on a Mercedes - the goddess-protector floats in the flow of the headwind on the bow of the land ship, protects her owners and does not allow them to get lost in the asphalt jungle.
The superbrand is another example.
The three-pointed star in the circle is the designation of the Mercedes brand. In the 2005 ranking of the value of brands (The Best Global Brands), which was compiled by the InterBrand consulting agency in conjunction with the magazine Business Week, Mercedes ranks 11th in the world. The Mercedes brand, according to the compilers of the rating, is worth 16.605 billion euros. Ahead, however, Toyota with a brand worth 20.615 billion euros. In a press release accompanying the rating, Mercedes is named the most expensive German brand.
The Mercedes brand has been in the making for over a hundred years. Consciously or unconsciously, during this time, the owners of the brand put a certain meaning in it, which has been entrenched in the centuries. When looking at the three-pointed Mercedes star, according to the results of a number of surveys, the respondents had the following associations: German quality, an elite car, an expensive car, reliability, confidence, prestige, safety, conservatism, and design superiority.
And in the coat of arms the star is burning ...
The success of the Mercedes symbol haunts the famous of this world. They seem to believe that by bringing good luck to cars for many decades, the star of captivating happiness will bless them too. For example, Viktor Yanukovych, a former opposition leader of the orange movement in Ukraine, ordered himself a noble coat of arms. Among other things, there are three symbols on it - a rose, a symbol of Donbass, a palm branch, which means victory, and ... the Mercedes badge. What oz
The history of the Mercedes emblem dates back to the late 1800s, when Gottlieb Daimler became technical director of the Deutz internal combustion engine plant. There is a legend that at the beginning of his work there, Gottlieb Daimler decorated his own home with a star and wrote to his wife that the day would come when this star would shine over his own plant and symbolize prosperity.
Already in the early 1900s, when the question of the company's logo was acute, Daimler's sons, Paul and Adolf Daimler, remembered this story and designated the star as their trademark. Gottlieb Daimler himself died in 1900 shortly before the 66th anniversary.
A photo emblem of a Mercedes 1902 will allow you to more clearly imagine what the logo was.
In June 1909, the three-pointed and four-pointed stars were registered as trademarks. But, starting in 1910, the three-pointed star began to adorn cars.
The photo emblem of a Mercedes of 1909 will allow you to more clearly imagine what the logo was.
Photo emblem Benz 1909.
What does the Mercedes emblem mean? The three-pointed star symbolizes the Daimler Group's commitment to universal motorization “on earth, water and air”.
Over time, the emblem has undergone minor changes.
In 1916, the Mercedes emblem was enclosed in a circle. Along the perimeter of the circle itself, there were four more small stars, also the name Mercedes.
Photo emblem Mercedes 1916.
In 1923, a new emblem was patented.
The history of the Mercedes emblem was continued during the Second World War. It was a rather difficult time, which could not but affect sales, especially of such luxurious passenger cars. Only financially independent companies could survive. This was the time when the only way out was to merge Mercedes and Benz.
For a couple of years, separate logos were used, but then a decision was made to merge. The basis was the Mercedes logo, which was ringed with a Benz laurel wreath. So, on February 18, 1925, a new Mercedes emblem was registered - a star in a laurel wreath.
Photo emblem Mercedes after the merger of the two logos
In 1952, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL received a modified type of star, the emblem was not on the hood, as it was before, but on the radiator grille. This change was due to the desire to emphasize the sporty character of the car.
Photo emblem Mercedes 1991.
2008 Mercedes logo.
Recently, some changes have been made to the three-pointed star, now that higher-end vehicles will receive a real shining Mercedes emblem.
Modern version:
Information taken from the site.
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.
