Mercedes-Benz

The pioneers of the automobile industry at the end of the 19th century were Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz with Benz patenting what is widely viewed as the first automobile. Mercedes-Benz is a subsidiary of German-based Daimler and the brand is used on luxury cars, buses and trucks. Mercedes focuses its sponsorship spending on events that attract a well-heeled crowd. Its three pillars are golf, tennis and New York's Fashion Week. The Mercedes F1 team has also dominated the track with five straight Constructors' Championships behind drivers Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas. The Mercedes-Benz brand matched its 2017 record of 2.4 million cars sold last year. It was the eighth straight year of record sales, albeit only 9,000 more than the previous year. China is the biggest market with 28% of unit sales, followed by the U.S. (14%) and Germany (14%). Sales in China rose 11%. Read Less