What was the first car to use the Mercedes name?

The Mercedes 35 hp was the first car to use the Mercedes name.

Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft developed the car around 1900 at the urging of Emil Jellinek, an influential dealer, racing promoter and customer. The first example was delivered to Jellinek in December 1900, and the model made its public competition breakthrough during Nice racing week in March 1901. It was marketed as the Mercedes 35 hp, with the power figure referring to its approximately 35-horsepower engine.

The name came from Jellinek’s daughter, Mercédès Jellinek. Jellinek had raced Daimler cars under the pseudonym “Monsieur Mercedes,” and the name was subsequently applied to the new model and then to a growing range of Daimler vehicles. The Mercedes trademark was formally registered in 1902.

The 35 hp was more than a renamed earlier car. Its low centre of gravity, long wheelbase, wide track and purpose-built steel chassis helped establish the layout of the modern automobile. The Mercedes Simplex followed it in 1902. The Mercedes-Benz name itself did not appear until the 1926 merger of Daimler and Benz.