Che Guevara's iconic portrait with long hair and absent look - yes, that one on T-shirts and posters - has been endlessly reproduced and modified with different purposes.

But this time, Mercedes has allegedly gone a step to far at featuring a picture of the revolutionary icon in a conference in Las Vegas - with the Marxist five pointed star of his beret conveniently transformed into Mercedes' symbol.

This took place during an annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, when the company was introducing a sharing scheme called CarTogether. Mercedes- Benz's chairman Dieter Zetsche said some colleagues "still think that car-sharing borders on communism. But if that's the case, viva la revolucion," to then reveal a gigantic poster with the famous picture taken by Alberto Korda in 1960.

Anti-Castro activists didn't wait long to show their outrage. Ernesto Ariel Suarez, a Cuban exile, launched a Facebook page featuring the slogan: "Tell Mercedes-Benz that it is NOT OK to use the image of a mass murderer."

Another politically conservative voice, the Heritage Foundation in Washington, wrote a post with the title "Mercedes-Benz Uses Communist Madmen Che Guevara to Sell Luxury Cars."

Che supporters haven't expressed their disgust as loudly as his detractors, but it's easy to understand how people who believe in Che's anti-capitalist crusade would be shocked at this utter ironic publicity stunt.

Mercedes-Benz's sister company Daimler AG has have to offer an apology for using the modified picture, saying the image was "one of many images and videos in the presentation.'

"Daimler was not condoning the life or actions of this historical figure or the political philosophy he espoused. We sincerely apologise to those who took offence," the company  added.

Argentina-born Ernesto "Che" Guevara was a key figure in the Cuban Revolution. He and Fidel Castro overthrow Cuba's Batista government, and since then his name has been taken by those who consider him a hero and for those who believe he was a murderer. Ironically, thanks to Mercedes-Benz, they have now agreed in something: Che's star should be five pointed.