STUTTGART, GERMANY—Acknowledging an unsavory blemish in the company’s history, Mercedes-Benz released a statement Tuesday that addressed its contributions to the Nazi war effort with a reminder that the Third Reich had notoriously high standards for quality engineering. “We unequivocally apologize for our cooperation with the Nazis, who believed Germans were a superior race of people and deserved a superior class of automobile,” said Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius, explaining that while Axis leaders like Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring, Heinrich Himmler, Benito Mussolini, and Emperor Hirohito could have used any car they wished, they all chose the Mercedes 770K limousine. “We cannot deny our appalling complicity with Hitler’s regime any more than we can deny the führer’s relentless, uncompromising demands for automotive ingenuity and excellence. Unfortunately, Mercedes-Benz’s craftsmanship was as brilliant in 1936—when we built a secret factory in the forest outside Berlin to build the aircraft engines that would power the Luftwaffe and enable the Blitz—as it is today.” Källenius went on to condemn the “hateful fanatics” whose desire for “sleek, well-running machines” could only be satisfied when Mercedes enslaved concentration camp prisoners to increase production.