1973

24 - 25 January 1973
Daimler-Benz opens the "Safety Made Visible" exhibition in Stuttgart. For the first time the company presents the achieved safety level and current trends in traffic safety to a broad audience. After its launch in Stuttgart, the exhibition is staged in 15 other German cities and 13 European locations.

27 February 1973
Daimler-Benz signs an agreement with the State Committee for Science and Technology of the USSR concerning scientific-technical cooperation. Following the signing, a special Mercedes-Benz exhibition takes place in Moscow from 28 February to 9 March. As the first such presentation in the Soviet Union by a Western motor vehicle manufacturer it draws international attention.

February 1973
The Mercedes-Benz O 307 standard rural regular service bus, a prototype of which was presented at the "Rail and Road” trade fair in August 1970, goes into series production at the Mannheim plant. The rural variant based on the O 305 standard regular service bus is fitted with the new 155 kW / 210 hp OM 407 in-line six-cylinder engine, which is installed underfloor in the rear of the bus. When series production of the O 307 starts, the new engine is also installed in the O 305. Both models are optionally available with engine encapsulation, which reduces external noise by half.

13 March 1973
At the Fourth International ESV Conference in Kyoto, Japan, Daimler-Benz presents the ESF 22 experimental safety vehicle, based on the S-Class (116 series).

15 - 25 March 1973
The Mercedes-Benz 450 SE and 450 SEL (116 series), 450 SL and 450 SLC (107 series) passenger car models are unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. They are fitted with the 165 kW / 225 hp 4.5-litre V8 M 117 engine and round of the range of S-Class, SL Roadster and SLC Coupé models at the top end.

May 1973
The Austrian company Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG and Daimler-Benz AG agree to cooperation in the development, production and sale of off-road vehicles.

26 June 1973
Daimler-Benz AG hands over the first test unit of the LE 306 electrically powered van to "Gesellschaft für Elektrischen Straßenverkehr" (GES), which is to cooperate in the testing of 30 electric vans.

1 July 1973
Series production of the MB-trac 65/70 farm tractor presented a year earlier begins at the Gaggenau plant.

28 August 1973
The Board of Management of Daimler-Benz AG decides to concentrate production of the light vans at the Bremen plant and in turn locate the production of parts for cars and commercial vehicles in Hamburg-Harburg.

August 1973
The Rome-based Mercedes-Benz Italia S.p.A., co-founded on 18 April with the Italian general distributor Autostar S.p.A, launches commercial vehicle sales activities.

13 - 23 September 1973
The facelifted saloon and coupé models of the mid-range 114/115-series are unveiled to the public at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt am Main. The new 230.4 replaces the 220, and a third diesel variant, the 240 D, is added to the model range. At the same time a "New Generation" of heavy-duty cab-over-engine construction site vehicles with permissible gross vehicle weights of 16 to 26 tonnes also makes its debut.

1 October 1973
The conclusion of a works agreement on 22 June clears the way for Daimler-Benz headquarters in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim to begin the phased introduction of a flexitime system.

12 October 1973
Herbert Lucy, Chairman of the Mannheim Works Council, becomes Chairman of the Central Works Council of Daimler-Benz AG, succeeding Karl Hauff, who retires for reasons of age.

23 October 1973
As part of the reorganisation of commercial vehicle production and the absorption of the Hanomag-Henschel plants into the integrated production network of the company, the Board of Management of Daimler-Benz AG decides to take up assembly of Mercedes-Benz trucks for export at the Kassel plant.

December 1973
For the first time Daimler-Benz AG offers its workforce the chance to purchase employees' shares at a reduced rate.