As A corporate motto, "The best or nothing" has a timeless quality. Gottlieb Daimler pasted it on the wall as he went about inventing the modern car in the late 19th century. In 2010 the firm that bears his name adopted it as a slogan. It was as badly timed as a misfiring engine. Mercedes-Benz, Daimler's car division, already trailing bmw in terms of sales and profitability, saw another Geman premium carmaker, Audi, also start to pull away in the same year (see chart). Yet this year Daimler's shares have surged by 40%, persuading optimists that the firm is catching up.
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