The Ponton was Daimler-Benz's first all-new Mercedes-Benz series of passenger vehicles produced after World War II.

In July 1953, the cars replaced the Type 170 series designed before the war and accounted for most of the automaker's production until 1959, although some models lasted until 1962.

The nickname comes from the German word for "pontoon" and refers to a definition of pontoon defenses - and a postwar style trend, later called the Ponton style.

Daimler-Benz emerged from World War II as a car manufacturer best known in the early 1950s for its expensive Mercedes-Benz 300 Adenauer and exclusive Mercedes-Benz 300 S sports tourers.

Both were largely built by hand.

Its low end was anchored in the type 170 dated pre-war.

Seeking to boldly expand its production, Mercedes turned to the monoblock concept to design a line of mass-produced cars that were robust, reliable and relatively simple and inexpensive to build.

Work began in earnest on 1967 cars, with a design focused on passenger comfort and safety.

The head of the design team was Dr. Fritz Nallinger.

The drawing was directed by Karl Wilfert. Part of the design team was Béla Barényi.

Barényi integrated the concepts of deformation zones and the non-deformable passenger cell into the "three-box design".

 The deformation zone patent 854157, issued in 1952, describes the decisive feature of passive safety.

Barény questioned the prevailing opinion until then that a safe car had to be rigid.

He divided the body of the car into three sections: the rigid passenger compartment not deforming and the zones of deformation during the collision.

This design concept was proven by the ADAC crash test facility in June 2010, when a Mercedes Ponton was tested at the Technical Center in Landsberg am Lech, confirming the existence of the project incorporated into the vehicle.

This made a milestone in the car's design with front and rear crumple zones to absorb kinetic energy on impact.