Does Mercedes Benz have sister companies?
By
Vroomouk
This article will answer the following questions: Does Mercedes Benz have sister companies? What models do they sell? How involved is Mercedes Benz in the development of new models in sister companies?
Does Mercedes Benz have sister companies?
Yes, Mercedes Benz has sister companies, Mercedes Benz AG is a German automotive corporation based in Stuttgart, Germany. Mercedes Benz AG manufactures and sells luxury passenger cars under the Mercedes Benz Brand, the company is also into manufacturing trucks, Vans and fully electric vehicles and sells them under different brand names like Daimler trucks, Mercedes Benz EQ etc.
The passenger car company is further divided into two sister companies named Mercedes- AMG and Mercedes – Maybach. Daimler trucks on the other hand are a separate entity.
As Mercedes Benz is one of the oldest automobile manufacturers in the world, the company had many ties with other car manufacturers like Chrysler, Benz, and Daimler in the past. Currently, the company holds stakes in car companies like Aston Martin, Denza, and BAIC Motor. Following are the current Mercedes Benz sister companies.
- Mercedes-AMG
Mercedes- AMG is a high-performance division of Mercedes Benz and makes hand-built engines and performance-focused versions of ongoing Mercedes Benz models. Mercedes Benz cars are more oriented toward comfort and luxury and many customers wanted more exciting cars to drive.
Mercedes Benz cars were simply no match for the high powered BMW M- Power cars. Therefore, Mercedes Benz took control of the AMG, which was the most famous Mercedes Benz tuner in the 1980s. AMG has its separate factory in Affalterbach, Germany and hires its engineers to design and manufacture high-performance engines. AMG also sells engines to Pagani and Auston Martin.
The full form of AMG is Aufrecht, Melcher, Großaspach. Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher started tunig the early Mercedes SL and S class models in the shed at Aufrecht home town located in Großaspach.
- Mercedes- Maybach
Mercedes-Maybach manufactures more premium and luxurious versions of standard Mercedes Benz models. The interior and exterior styling is more exclusive and the vehicle offers a higher performance and comfort level compared to the standard models. Maybach logos are present on the car to distinguish it from standard models.
The Mercedes -Maybach has very few models and most of them are usually special orders. The exterior parts like a front bumper grille and alloy wheels are exclusive to the Maybach models. The high performance LED light system and burmester surround sound system comes as standard equipment.
- Mercedes EQ
The EQ brand of Mercedes Benz stands for emotion and intelligence. Full electric cars with single or dual electric motors are sold under the EQ badge. EQ boost technology also filters down to 48V electric system mild and plug-in hybrid models.
Mercedes Benz AG will be focusing on the development and production of electric cars under the EQ brand, and the Stuttgart factory will also produce lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Battery factories also have been built in the Brühl and Hedelfingen plant sections. In addition to assembly and manufacturing parts of the electric cars, Germany will also become a global hub for battery production.
- Smart
Mercedes Benz makes small two-seater electric cars mainly in China and sells them under the brand Smart. These small cars are great, especially in the city and it is also very popular in car-sharing programs like share now. The brand is known to produce microcars and subcompacts at the Smartville in Hambach, Moselle, France and the Revoz plant (Novo Mesto, Slovenia). Its distribution, marketing and aftersales activities in Europe are currently handled by smart Europe GmbH which is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.
The brand was founded in 1994 by Micro Compact Car AG (MCC), a joint venture between SMH and Daimler-Benz. MCC became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler-Benz in 1998 and was subsequently renamed MCC smart GmbH, then smart GmbH. smart GmbH was then absorbed by DaimlerChrysler (later Daimler AG) in 2006, making smart a brand within the Mercedes-Benz Cars division.
It is the global financial and mobility services provider of the Mercedes-Benz Group. The company finances, leases and insures Daimler Group passenger cars and commercial vehicles, optimise fleets of commercial customers and offers banking and credit/debit cards services in more than 40 countries.
- Mercedes AMG high-performance powertrains
This company is located in Brixworth, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom and only manufactures engines for Formula 1. The Mercedes Benz formula 1 racing team is very dominant and has won 10 constructors championships.
What are the models sold by Mercedes Benz sister companies?
- Mercedes-AMG
The model name in the Mercedes Benz AMG family is represented by the alphabet followed by two numbers. The alphabet represents which class the model is based on while the two numbers determine the AMG series. Following are the different AMG series available currently.
AMG 35
AMG45
AMG43
AMG53
AMG55
AMG63
The AMG series 35.43,53 and 55 do not have one engine. They are known as AMG line models and only have AMG performance exhaust with interior and exterior stylings. Only The 45 and 63 series had M139 and M177 handbuilt man one engines.
- Mercedes Benz EQ
Mercedes Benz EQ made its debut in the fully electric car market in 2019 and makes the following models including a high-performance AMG versions
- EQC
- EQA
- GLB
- EQV
- EQS
- EQE
The EQS and EQE have 53 AMG high-performance versions, the powertrain is fully electric but the way electric motors react and deliver maximum torque is different from the standard models.
Mercedes Maybach
William Maybach was chief engineer and worked with Daimler to manufacture stagecoaches with small engines that can be throttled. Maybach made independent models with V12 engines from 1997- to 2013 but in 2014 Mercedes Benz introduced a longer wheelbase version of the standard S class W222 under the brand name Mercedes Maybach. Following are the models sold under the Maybach brand
- Mercedes-Maybach S550
- Mercedes-Maybach S650
- Mercedes-Maybach S680 (Only for China)
- Mercedes-Maybach G 650 Landaulet
- Mercedes-Maybach GLS600
Smart
Smart sells the following small electric cars:-
- Smart EQ fortwo
- Smart EQ forfor
- Smart 1
The smart EQ fortwo and Forfor also get a two-door cabriolet version.
How involved is Mercedes Benz in the development of new models in sister companies?
Mercedes Benz Sister companies have their research and development divisions but Mercedes Benz does bring in their years of expertise in manufacturing and designing the cars. Mercedes Benz also assembles AMG and Maybach models in the same production line as standard cars and ships them to various international markets.
The designing of the new models is still a very independent process and it helps to retain originality and companies can manufacture a more unique product. There is no rebadging of cars, there is a significant difference between the standard models and models sold by the sister companies.
Other articles about Mercedes Benz you may be interested in
Does Mercedes Benz use a biodegradable electrical wiring harness?
Is the 2005 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG a good car?
Should you buy a Mercedes Benz extended warranty?
Conclusion
The concept of sister companies is not new in the Automobile world. Many car manufacturers like Volkswagen, and Toyota have sister companies like Mercedes Benz. Sister companies help in penetrating developing markets and Carmakers can experiment with different products without any impact on the mother company.
