The tailfin era of Automobile styling encompassed the 1950s and 1960, peaking between 1958 and 1960. It was a style that spread worldwide, as car designers picked up styling trends from the American automobile industry. Mercedes used something similar to fintails (nicknamed "heckflosse" in German), but they claimed that these were not fintails but "sight lines" to make it easier to determine the corners of the vehicle.