BEIJING, June 30, 2010 – Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd. today announced the establishment of the Mercedes-Benz Star Fund with a start-up fund of RMB 30 million, in partnership with the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF). The Mercedes-Benz Star Fund, the automaker's largest start-up amount for a charity fund worldwide, as well as one of the largest start-up charity funds in the Chinese auto industry, came into effect in a ceremony held at the Great Hall of the People. Giving a lively start to the partnership, Mercedes-Benz also kicked-off its "Inspiring the Future" Project Hope Happy Music Classroom Program with CYDF to furnish 125 music classrooms across Hope Schools in China to help about 40,000 children in rural areas gain access to proper music education.

Under the slogan of "Nurturing the World of Tomorrow", the new Mercedes-Benz Star Fund provides an integrated CSR platform that supports its five core CSR pillars of environmental protection, education, music, arts and sports, culture of driving as well as charity and disaster relief programs. These pillars are in line with the current needs of society, and serve as the brand's core values. The new initiative not only clearly signifies Mercedes-Benz's long-term commitment to social causes in China but also sets a sustainable cause model.

"Proactively shouldering social obligations is an important part of our corporate strategy. With the Mercedes-Benz Star Fund, we are launching several programs engaged in the fields of education and development of young students, nature protection, disaster relief and many others," said Mr. Ulrich Walker, Chairman and CEO of Daimler Northeast Asia. "Never before in the history of Mercedes-Benz worldwide have we established a charity fund of this scale. This is the largest start-up fund amount for Mercedes-Benz globally and today's establishment of the all-encompassing platform demonstrates not only our CSR culture but also our commitment to the Chinese market."

The establishment of the Mercedes-Benz Star Fund marks a new milestone for the automaker and also brings the company's corporate social responsibility strategy in China to a new height – based on achievements and successful outcomes made over the past years. These contributions have also been highly recognized by

strategic partners including UNESCO, the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) and China Tennis Association (CTA). Mercedes-Benz also hopes to become a positive driving force among dealers to contribute towards these community programs.

Mr. Klaus Maier, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd, said, "Along with the support from CYDF and over 140 dealer partners across China, the launch of the Mercedes-Benz Star Fund today reinforces our deep-rooted commitment to social causes in China in shaping a better world of tomorrow with our actions today. With such an integrated platform, we have an even greater access to reach more people in China."

The China Youth Development Foundation – the automaker's partner for the newly-launched Mercedes-Benz Star Fund – is one of the most influential NGOs in China. The organization initiated Project Hope, which has been successful in offering educational opportunities to millions of rural children in China.

Commenting on the organization's new partnership with Mercedes-Benz, Mr. Tu Meng, Secretary-General of CYDF said, "We are a strong advocate of the values of social responsibility, human progress and development, and the pursuit of excellence in everything that we do -- which perfectly match with Mercedes-Benz's CSR values. We believe that we will have a harmonious cooperation and make good use of our resources to maximize social benefits. Furthermore, with the launch of the Mercedes-Benz "Inspiring the Future" Project Hope Happy Music Classroom Program as our first joint initiative, we hope that we will enrich the lives of underprivileged children in Hope Schools with the joy of music."

The essence of Mercedes-Benz's core values lies in philanthropy and community welfare for the society. With Mercedes-Benz's relentless pursuits in CSR, today's establishment of the Mercedes-Benz Star Fund is set to have an even greater impact on society, setting an even greater imprint of the three-pointed star in China.