6. American Mercedes
This is not about the Mercedes products that are currently assembled in the Mercedes, Alabama factory. This is a separate brand they established in 1904 in Long Island, New York. As you can guess, American Mercedes started producing cars under a license from the Mercedes-Benz Germany. Soon, they started developing their own versions of cars.
Interestingly, the American Mercedes was a direct competitor of German Mercedes. The two companies with basically the same car fought for buyers on the American market. However, the venture was short-lived. In 1907, they closed the doors of American Mercedes and people soon forgot about them.