From Tuesday (February 1), the German carmaker will be known as Mercedes-Benz Group, after its flagship brand.

It's a move that CEO Ola Kaellenius believes could raise the value of the company.

He did not name a specific target valuation for the firm though.

Right now, it is worth just over $85 billion.

One analyst said the rebrand could help the firm persuade investors to see it more like Tesla, particularly as Mercedes pursues an electrification strategy to compete with the U.S. firm.

Kaellenius also gave a hint of where the company's future might lie.

He talked up self-driving cars and said it has 'significant business potential' for the future.

The change is the latest in a run of restructures for an automaker dating back a century or so.

In the year since the move was first announced, Mercedes-Benz shares have risen to their highest levels since 2015.

They hit their peak when it was announced Daimler Truck would spin-off into a separate entity.

That split went ahead in December.