The first car ever made is widely credited to Karl Benz, a German engineer who built the Benz Patent-Motorwagen in 1885. This vehicle is considered the first practical automobile powered by an internal combustion engine. It featured a three-wheeled design with a rear-mounted single-cylinder four-stroke engine, producing about 0.75 horsepower and capable of reaching speeds around 10 mph (16 km/h). Benz was granted a patent for this invention in 1886, and it marked the beginning of the modern automotive era

. While earlier steam-powered vehicles existed, such as Nicolas Cugnot's steam car in 1769, and other inventors had experimented with self-propelled vehicles, Benz's Patent-Motorwagen is recognized as the first commercially viable and practical car

. The Benz Patent-Motorwagen's success led to the foundation of the automobile industry and the eventual formation of Mercedes-Benz, following the merger of Benz & Cie. with Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft