Registry · MBG
Does Mercedes-Benz support Israel?
Mercedes-Benz Group AG
Mercedes-Benz does business in Israel — we found records of its operations there, but no record of donations, aid, or a public statement of support. Every claim below links to its source.
Filed under: Car & automotive brands · Companies that support Israel
Background
Most of this record dates from when the company was named Daimler AG; it was renamed Mercedes-Benz Group AG in February 2022, so older items are attributed to Daimler or its divisions (Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Vans). Its direct Israeli activity is R&D and venture investment centered on the Tel Aviv center opened in 2017, which remains part of the group's global R&D network; no corporate donations to Israeli causes were found. Separately, Mercedes-Benz vehicles reach the Israeli military through Colmobil, a privately held Israeli company that holds the Mercedes-Benz and FUSO commercial-vehicle importer and distribution rights (it also imports Mitsubishi and Hyundai). Colmobil, not Mercedes-Benz Group AG, is the party that has won and delivered a series of Israeli Ministry of Defense vehicle tenders reported in the Israeli press since 2018 — Atego trucks, Sprinter military ambulances, Air Force fire trucks and Arocs tank-carrier tractor heads, documented below as Colmobil's actions. No evidence was found of Mercedes-Benz Group AG itself contracting with the Israeli military.
Globes (inauguration by Daimler CEO) Mercedes-Benz Research & Development Tel Aviv (LinkedIn) The Jerusalem Post — Delivery of Mercedes IDF tank carriers speeds up
Timeline of documented records
Documented records
| Type | Date | Amount | Recipient | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations in Israel | 2017-11 | — | Mercedes-Benz Research & Development Tel Aviv Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche inaugurated a Mercedes-Benz R&D center in Tel Aviv in November 2017 — one of 11 hubs in the group's global R&D network — focused on digital vehicle and mobility services, navigation, biometrics and cybersecurity. It opened with ~15 employees (planned ~25 in 2018), worked with local accelerators such as 'The Bridge', and continues to operate as Mercedes-Benz Research & Development Tel Aviv. | |
| Investment / program | 2017-09 | — | StoreDot (Israeli fast-charging battery company) Daimler's trucks division led a $60 million financing round in Israeli battery company StoreDot (Daimler's individual share undisclosed) and signed a strategic partnership to bring StoreDot's five-minute 'FlashBattery' fast-charging technology to electric vehicles; the round reportedly valued StoreDot near $500 million. | |
| Investment / program | 2017-09 | $50,000,000 | Via Transportation / ViaVan joint venture Daimler made a strategic investment in ride-pooling company Via — a New York-headquartered company founded by Israeli entrepreneurs with a major Tel Aviv R&D operation — with Mercedes-Benz Vans putting $50 million into the ViaVan joint venture to bring Via's on-demand shuttle technology to Europe (launched in Amsterdam and London in 2018). | |
| Investment / program | 2018-02 | — | Anagog (Tel Aviv mobility-AI startup) Daimler led Israeli mobility-status AI startup Anagog's roughly $10 million Series B together with MizMaa Ventures — an investment made through the Mercedes-Benz Tel Aviv R&D center — and jointly launched the EQ Ready app with Anagog; Daimler participated again in Anagog's 2020 round. | |
| Franchisee action | 2018-07-19 | $19,200,000 | Israel Defense Forces (via Colmobil, Mercedes-Benz's independent Israeli importer) Colmobil — the privately held Israeli company that holds Mercedes-Benz's commercial-vehicle importer and distribution rights (it also imports Mitsubishi and Hyundai) — won an Israeli Ministry of Defense Procurement Directorate tender to supply the IDF with 200 Mercedes Atego single-unit trucks worth about NIS 70 million (about $19.2 million at the Bank of Israel official rate of 3.649 ILS per USD on 19 July 2018; the source states only the shekel figure), replacing an aging truck fleet. The contract is between Colmobil and the Ministry of Defense; no evidence was found of Mercedes-Benz Group AG (then Daimler AG) itself being party to it. | One source |
| Franchisee action | 2022-05-18 | $36,000,000 | Israeli Ministry of Defense / Israeli Air Force (via Colmobil) Colmobil supplied 125 military-specification Mercedes Sprinter 4x4 ambulances, each able to treat three stretcher casualties at once, plus 19 fire trucks for the Israeli Air Force, in a package Israeli trade press valued at over NIS 120 million (about $36 million). The vehicles were US-manufactured and procured through the Defense Ministry's New York purchasing delegation using US military aid funds; series-production ambulances were due in Israel from early 2023. As with Colmobil's other IDF vehicle contracts, the counterparty is Colmobil, the local importer, not Mercedes-Benz Group AG. Independently confirmed by Kipa's report on the same 18 May 2022 Defense Ministry procurement announcement, which gives matching figures (over 100 new ambulances and 19 advanced fire trucks). | |
| Franchisee action | 2023-11 | — | Israel Defense Forces (via Colmobil), expedited after the Gaza war began From a roughly 460-unit Defense Ministry tractor-head tender that Colmobil had won around a year earlier, it delivered the first 112 Mercedes Arocs heavy tractor heads (reported by the Jerusalem Post as Actros; Walla and Israel Defense both name Arocs) for towing Merkava Mark 4 tanks, armoured personnel carriers and bulldozers, plus an initial 30 Mercedes Sprinter 4x4 ambulances flown in from the US, with delivery expedited once the Gaza war began in October 2023. Colmobil's VP of transportation, Nir Dakel, said the company was making every effort to help prepare and deliver the vehicles for immediate operational use. The contracts are Colmobil's with the Ministry of Defense; Mercedes-Benz Group AG is the vehicles' manufacturer but not a contracting party. |
Frequently asked questions
Did Mercedes-Benz donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?
We have no records of donations. What is on record is commercial activity in Israel (Operations in Israel, Investment / program, Franchisee action), which is not the same as support — see the records on this page.
Where does this information come from?
Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 18 distinct sources are cited for Mercedes-Benz. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.
Sources & citations
Record last updated: 2026-09-25
- Globes (inauguration by Daimler CEO) en.globes.co.il
- Times of Israel timesofisrael.com
- NoCamels nocamels.com
- Daimler Trucks (release via PR Newswire) prnewswire.com
- Haaretz haaretz.com
- Via / Daimler (release via PR Newswire) prnewswire.com
- TechCrunch techcrunch.com
- Green Car Congress greencarcongress.com
- Globes en.globes.co.il
- NoCamels nocamels.com
- Automotive News Europe europe.autonews.com
- Bizportal — Colmobil to supply 200 Mercedes trucks to the army bizportal.co.il
- Israel Defense — Defense Ministry purchases ambulances and fire trucks for the IDF in the US israeldefense.co.il
- Kipa (Hebrew) — "Upgrade for rescue forces: advanced ambulances and fire trucks purchased for millions from the United States" kipa.co.il
- The Jerusalem Post — Delivery of Mercedes IDF tank carriers speeds up jpost.com
- Walla Cars — Mercedes speeds up tank-carrier delivery to the IDF because of the war cars.walla.co.il
- Israel Defense — IDF equips with Mercedes tractor heads and ambulances israeldefense.co.il
- Mercedes-Benz Research & Development Tel Aviv (LinkedIn) il.linkedin.com