[11 November 2009 - Guangzhou] Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd. today announced its official entry into the premium used car market with the launch of the China-tailor-made StarElite Pre-Owned Program. The launch of StarElite carries Mercedes-Benz's China market strategy forwards another step, and becomes Mercedes-Benz's first entry into China's pre-owned vehicle market. StarElite brings the three-pointed star of Mercedes-Benz closer to the Chinese consumer, and expands the market for consumers to enjoy Mercedes-Benz's exceptional quality and distinguished service.

With quality and tradition born of its Mercedes-Benz pedigree, StarElite delivers multi-brand trade-in, certified pre-owned vehicle retail sales, and premium after-sales service, in a transparent, reassuring, and convenient one-stop shopping experience. With multi-brand trade-in, a customer can drive any brand vehicle into the dealership and have a StarElite professional appraiser perform an objective and transparent inspection of the vehicle, applying the value of their old vehicle to a new car purchase and forming an easy way to get into a new Mercedes-Benz or a StarElite pre-owned Mercedes-Benz vehicle. To qualify for the strict StarElite certification process, a vehicle must be free of major structural damage, and within 4 years and 100,000 km. After initial qualifying, every vehicle undergoes the most thorough certification in the premium market - a rigorous 158-checkpoint inspection certifying the highest standards of function and appearance. The transparency of the StarElite Pre-Owned Program is solidly backed by a unique third-party audit carried out by Dekra, an independent automotive inspection agency, while complete peace of mind is guaranteed with a market-leading 1 year or 20,000 km standard Gold Warranty and one-year complimentary 365 day/24 hour Mercedes-Benz Roadside Assistance.

Currently, there are 11 cities with 15 StarElite showrooms selected from the Mercedes-Benz nationwide dealership network. According to long-term development plans, Mercedes-Benz hopes to have StarElite pre-owned vehicle showrooms in each of its dealerships nationwide, built on the solid foundation of its tailor-made training and implementation program.

According to statistics, Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd. total sales from January to October of 2009 reached 50,700 units, representing year-on-year growth of 55%, maintaining Mercedes-Benz's standing as the fastest growing luxury automaker in China. To this, Bjoern Hauber, General Manager of Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd. said: "Launching the StarElite sub-brand at this time is part of a broader Mercedes-Benz China market strategy. We are confident that with attention to the Mercedes-Benz core values, StarElite will become synonymous with trust and quality in the pre-owned vehicle market."