The Mercedes brand is thus fittingly celebrating the anniversary of the invention of the automobile under the banner ‘125! years of innovation.’ The anniversary year will kick off with an advertising campaign which will run in the print media, on TV and on the internet from January 19 to February 2.

On 29 January 1886, Carl Benz changed the world when he filed a patent application for his «gas engine-powered vehicle» with the Reich Patent Office in Berlin. This marked the birth of the automobile, and since that day Mercedes-Benz has had around 80,000 pioneering inventions patented.

Under the heading ‘Inventors of the automobile. Since 1886!’ the print advertisement motif, which is to appear as a full-page advertisement in national daily newspapers, shows the Benz Patent motor car from 1886 alongside the present-day F 800 Style research vehicle.

It thus spans the entire course of development from the initial invention of the automobile to the latest technical and design innovations. This motif is complemented by a concise and succinct text message: «125 years ago, we invented the automobile. Today, our passion for new ideas is as strong as ever, as we work on everything from electric drive systems to fuel cell technologies. Because 125 years from now, we still plan to be ahead of our time.”

At www.mercedes-benz.com/125 the Stuttgart-based premium brand provides an overview of all activities in the anniversary year and the presents the history of the Mercedes-Benz brand. The ten-second TV spot, which can be watched on the website, also showcases the Stuttgart-based premium brand’s countless inventions in a surprising and humorous manner. It shows an endless procession of current and historical Mercedes-Benz vehicles jostling their way into the picture and hooting loudly.