• March 6: On the 40th anniversary of his death, Gottlieb Daimler's former workshop in the summerhouse in Cannstatt is inaugurated as a memorial to the automotive pioneer.
• End of March: Daimler-Benz AG converts to wartime production. The 170 V remains in the company's product range and 1,400 units with various different bodies are produced every month. The 3.4 liter W 142 car also continues in limited production. Both these vehicles are supplied to the military as a jeep-type vehicle, and the 170 V also as a 0.3 ton van.
• Since production of the Mercedes-Benz 170 V (W 136) first started in 1935, a total of almost 100,000 vehicles have been sold.

In early 1940, having previously had synchromesh only on third and fourth gears, the 170 V was given an all-synchromesh four-speed transmission.
From 1939 there is a special version of the 170 V designed to address the growing shortage of petrol. This version ran on generator gas, which is produced by carbonising wood in the built-on wood gas generator. Despite its higher compression, the 170 V "wood gasifier" delivers only 22 hp. Adding around RM 1000 to the price, the wood gas system is normally supplied for retrofitting to an existing vehicle.

230 (W 153)

320 Pullman_Limousine

Some of the last engines to be installed in Kübelwagen had a specified power output of 80 hp.

540 K seen in Cracov in 1942.