The 1894 Benz model that became the world's first standardized serial production car was the Benz Velo.
Carl Benz introduced the Velo, officially called the Velocipede, as a simpler and more affordable successor to the Patent-Motorwagen. Its design made it practical to build in repeatable numbers rather than as a largely individual experimental vehicle.
Production ran from 1894 to 1902. Benz built more than 1,200 examples, a remarkable figure for the infancy of motoring. Early cars used a 1.0-liter single-cylinder engine producing about 1.5 horsepower; later versions reached roughly 3 horsepower and a top speed near 12 mph.
The Patent-Motorwagen is often confused with the answer because it was the pioneering automobile, but it was not the standardized serial-production model described here. The Velo also competed in the 1894 Paris–Rouen event, one of the earliest major automobile contests.