Expert: Obama erred in car creation credit

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- The German company credited with the invention of the automobile said President Barack Obama erred when he gave credit to the United States.

Obama said during his Tuesday speech before a joint session ofd Congress that he believes "the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it," USA Today reported Thursday.

However, history books and the U.S. Library of Congress credit Germans Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler with the invention of the gasoline-powered car in 1885, years before Massachusetts brothers Charles and Frank Duryea assembled their car in 1893 and Henry Ford created his famous automobile in 1896.

"It's a fact that Daimler invented the car," said Han Tjan, U.S. spokesman for Daimler. "If someone says the U.S. invented the car, either it's an incomplete statement or sloppy research."

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki conceded that "there may be some question about who invented the car, but make no mistake, we still make the best cars right here in America." She said the president was encouraging Americans "to remember our rich history of ingenuity."