(March 9, 2019) STUTTGART, Germany — The Mercedes star is now shone on the woman without whom the company would perhaps never have existed in this form: Bertha Benz. To mark her 170th birthday on May 3, Mercedes-Benz relates Bertha's historic long-distance journey in cinema quality, thus encouraging men and women throughout the world to make their visions come true with courage and self-confidence.

The film "Bertha Benz: the journey that changed everything" is dedicated as an inspiration to all women and men in celebration of International Women's Day.

"It was important to my team to depict Bertha Benz as a strong woman and timeless role model" explained Bettina Fetzer, vice president Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars. "Bertha was a pioneer and our first test driver. Her courage and her will not to give up too easily inspire me very much. With our film we want to motivate people to go through life with a similarly positive, hands-on approach and to tackle challenges with confidence."

The decision by Bertha Benz to draw public attention to the invention of her husband Carl by undertaking the first long-distance car journey to Pforzheim covering nearly 100 kilometers now lies more than 130 years in the past. Nonetheless her courageous act is more topical than ever, as visions, determination and belief in oneself still remain important success factors in today's mobile world. Which makes Bertha Benz the best role model for present-day pioneers in all areas of life.

"She was more daring than I," Carl Benz said about his wife. As the inventor of the automobile, he revolutionized the mobility of the 19th Century.

This success that changed the world would have been barely conceivable without Bertha Benz, her indomitable optimism and her ability to find a way out of difficult situations. When the public were still skeptical about the new horseless carriage that was moved by "mysterious" forces, she took a snap decision and embarked on a then rather difficult journey to Pforzheim with her two sons Eugen and Richard. Also on board was a firm belief in her husband's invention and in herself.

This story is emotively recounted by Mercedes-Benz in a four-minute film, "Bertha Benz: the journey that changed everything" – in which the legendary first filling station in the world also plays a part. The European lead creative agency antoni Garage was responsible for the film's production. The production firm is Anorak Film. The director was Sebastian Strasser and Alice Bottaro was involved as a Creative Director at antoni.