What does actually the KOMPRESSOR badge mean on vehicles by Mercedes Benz?
Cars carrying this label are powered by Mercedes-Benz petrol engines with mechanical compressor which, similarly to the turbine, increases the air pressure in the intake manifold and thus the total power produced by the engine. Recently, Mercedes-Benz is increasingly omitting compressors in favor of conventional turbo chargers, making this label a rare sight on the new models.
Although they have the same purpose, and that's increasing air pressure and density inside the combustion chamber in order to produce more power and torque, a significant difference between an exhaust-gases-powered turbine and a supercharger is the fact that the later is driven by a mechanical power source (chain, belt or shaft). First assembly of this kind (now known as supercharger) was developed in 1921 by the Daimler-Benz team, with some help from Ferdinand Porsche, and the first automotive brand that decided to use it on a mass produced road car was again Mercedes-Benz.