BEIJING, June 30, 2010 – Today, the music of the heart resonated through the corridors of the Great Hall of the People with the launch of Mercedes-Benz "Inspiring the Future" Project Hope Happy Music Classroom Program. With this new initiative under the Mercedes-Benz Star Fund, the program aims to furnish proper music classrooms in 125 Hope Schools and bring the beautiful sound of music to more than 40,000 students across China.

This initiative is off to a lively start along with the voices of Project Hope music ambassadors, Yu Quan, and a group of Hope School children singing to the tunes of the program's theme song "Happy Singing", which is penned by the famous singing duo.

"Music has the special power to move enrich lives, and it is especially meaningful to young children. With the launch of Happy Music Classroom Program in cooperation with the China Youth Development Foundation, we hope to provide the children in remote areas with proper music education that they have never received before," said Mr. Klaus Maier, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd. "This is also a brand new initiative under the newly-launched Mercedes-Benz Star Fund, and further demonstrated our enduring efforts in promoting music education, as it is the hope and future of today's children that keep us moving forward."

According to research, 79.2% of Hope Schools lack proper music classrooms for lessons. Furthermore, nearly 80% of all Hope Schools do not have trained music teachers, and almost half of all the students surveyed are unable to hum the seven music notes accurately due to the lack of proper music education. With the severe shortage of music teaching aids, students are deprived of the opportunity to develop their music skills and interest, and could only learn simple singing during classes.

In helping these children to realize their dreams, Mercedes-Benz is donating RMB 4.3 million towards the Mercedes-Benz "Inspiring the Future" Project Hope Happy Music Classroom Program to equip the schools with proper music instruments and teaching facilities. Additionally, the school's percussion band will also receive brand new uniform sets to be worn at special performances. At the same time, school teachers will also receive proper training. Mercedes-Benz's dealers, customers and employees will be invited to join as volunteers to conduct music lessons at these schools.

Mr. Tu Meng, Secretary-General of the China Youth Development Foundation, said, "Music plays an important role in the development phases of a child. What we advocate as part of Project Hope is for children from rural areas to experience the same kind of joy that music brings as their peers in the urban cities. More importantly, all children deserve a happy childhood as well as the ability to cultivate their creativity, interest and appreciation in arts. We would like to thank Mercedes-Benz for bringing these children closer to their music dreams and their unyielding support for such a meaningful cause."

In line with Mercedes-Benz's upcoming125th Anniversary, the establishment of 125 music classrooms in Hope Schools is yet again a testament to Mercedes-Benz's CSR commitment in China. In fact, Mercedes-Benz has regarded CSR practice as one of its priorities since the first day it entered China. With an integrated and all-encompassing CSR platform established through the Mercedes-Benz Star Fund, it is set to continue to create opportunities that bring the joy of both music and arts into the lives of more people in China.