A DaimlerChrysler shareholders' meeting has voted almost unanimously in favour of a name change for the company to Daimler AG.

Over 5000 shareholders -- more than half of all DaimlerChrysler shareholders -- attended the Messe Berlin exhibition grounds to participate in the vote, which was carried by a 98.76 per cent majority.

In the aftermath of the split from the Chrysler Group -- recently acquired by Cerberus Capital Management (more here) -- the remaining entity needed to be renamed, to reflect the change of identity.

Daimler will now be the corporate name for the group, comprising brands remaining in the fold -- Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, smart, Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star and Mitsubishi Fuso, to name a few.

According to local staff at Daimler's head office in the Melbourne suburb of Mulgrave, the name change has not been without controversy in Germany. The home states of Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler have been embroiled in a clash over the name for the company.

Each state asserted that the company, newly split from the Chrysler Group, should be named after each respective company founder. Originally, the two companies joined forces in 1926 as Daimler-Benz. The Benz name now lives on only in its association with Mercedes-Benz.

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