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.

 

 

“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.”

 

 

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.”

 

 

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.