While it has often been contested, Karl Benz is said to have created the first automobile in January 1886. Gottlieb Daimler and engineer Wilhelm Maybach's original Mercedes automobile in 1901 while the first Mercedes-Benz vehicles were produced in 1926, following the merger of Karl Benz's and Gottlieb Daimler's companies into the Daimler-Benz company. The creation of AMG, their in-house tuning facility and the revival of the Maybach brand as well as a partnership with McLaren has allowed Mercedes-Benz to become much more than simply a luxury car maker.