German auto pioneer is a term used to describe two of the most influential figures in the history of the automobile industry, Karl BENZ and Gottlieb DAIMLER. Karl BENZ was a German engineer who invented the first practical motorcar in 1886. He founded the BENZ & Cie. motor vehicle company in 1883. Gottlieb DAIMLER was another German engineer who developed the first high-speed internal combustion engine in 1885. He founded the DAIMLER Motoren Gesellschaft in 1890. Both BENZ and DAIMLER are credited with pioneering the development of the modern automobile.