The automobile was invented in Germany by Carl Benz. Furthermore, the four-stroke internal combustion engine used in most automobiles worldwide today was invented by Nikolaus Otto in Germany. In addition, the diesel engine was also invented by German Rudolf Diesel. On the one hand, Germany is famous for the high-performance and high-quality sports cars made by Porsche, on the other hand, the cars by Mercedes-Benz are famous for their quality, safety and innovativeness. Daimler-Benz is the industry's oldest firm, building automobiles since the late 1880s;[citation needed] its current structure dates from 1926. In 1998 it bought the American automobile manufacturer Chrysler, then sold out in 2007 at a heavy loss as it never managed bring the division to long term profitability.
In the popular market, Opel and Volkswagen are most well known. Opel was a bicycle company that started making cars in 1898; General Motors bought it out in 1929, but the Nazi government took control and GM wrote off its entire investment. In 1948 GM returned and restored the Opel brand.
Volkswagen is dominant in the popular market; it purchased Audi in 1964. VW's most famous car was the small, beetle-shaped economical "people's car" with a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine. It was designed in the 1930s by Ferdinand Porsche upon orders from Adolf Hitler, who was himself a car enthusiast. However production models appeared only after the war; until then only rich Germans had automobiles. By 1950 Volkswagen was the largest German automobile producer, today, it is one of the three biggest automotive companies, but it is now part of the Porsche Automobil Holding SE. In the meantime, ten different car manufacturers belong to the multicorporate enterprise: Porsche, Volkswagen, Audi, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Bentley, Škoda Auto, MAN, SEAT and Scania AB.
Germany is famous for its upscale sedans. They feature suspension systems that provide both a soft ride and good handling characteristics. Many manufacturers limit their automobiles electronically to driving speeds of 250 km/h (155 mph) for safety reasons.[citation needed]
