Mercedes-Benz USA Donates $25,000 and Two Cars To the Automotive High School in Brooklyn

           Launches Public-Private Partnership to Improve Education

    MONTVALE, N.J., Feb. 7 -- The Automotive High School (AHS) in
Brooklyn has a corporate Valentine:  Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA).  MBUSA
representatives presented the school with a $25,000 check today.  This was a
follow up to a Mercedes-Benz ML320 donated by MBUSA in December 2002 along
with a promise for a second vehicle in the coming months.
    The donations are designed to help AHS create an engineering curriculum,
develop the "Mercedes-Benz Auto Shop," establish an after-school robotics
team, and fund two Virtual Enterprise companies that will promote
entrepreneurship by providing hands-on training in skills such as management,
payroll, inventory, sales and billing.  The donation also launches a long-term
partnership that will give AHS students the chance to familiarize themselves
with the Mercedes-Benz product, work with MBUSA employees in classes and on
Virtual Enterprise teams, and take part in internships at the Mercedes-Benz
Manhattan dealership.
    "This partnership with Mercedes-Benz USA will help Automotive High School
create the finest automotive curriculum and programming in America," says
Evaristo Jiminez, principal of Automotive High School.  "The only people more
excited than the faculty are the students."
    The donation to Automotive High School is part of MBUSA's ongoing
commitment to supporting education. "Mercedes-Benz is dedicated to helping
underserved communities reach the starting line.  We believe we have a
responsibility to help educate and empower the next generation and it's hard
to imagine a better place to do that than right here in our own back yard at
Automotive High School," says Paul Halata, president and CEO of MBUSA.  "This
partnership gives our engineers, technicians and dealers the chance to work
directly with students and really get involved with mentoring them.  That
means a lot to us."
    Mercedes-Benz USA has previously partnered with Automotive High School to
help the school update its curriculum and achieve National Association for
Technician Education Foundation (NATEF) certification, therefore better
preparing its graduates for careers in the automotive technical field.

    About Virtual Enterprises International
    Virtual Enterprises International, founded in 1996 by The New York City
Department of Education, is an organization that helps students gain
real-world work experience through office simulation in the classroom.  A
Virtual Enterprise (VE) is a simulated business that is established and
managed by students under the guidance of a teacher/facilitator and with the
assistance of a business partner. With communication links to nearly 3,000
other VE firms around the world, the VE program exposes students to different
cultures, business practices and currencies and gives students a broader
international perspective.

    About AHS
    Automotive High School in Brooklyn is the largest automotive high school
in the country and the only high school in the state to earn certification in
all eight NATEF categories. The school, which complements a traditional
curriculum with courses relating to the automotive industry, is composed of
800 students, 75 percent of which go on to a post-secondary education.

    About MBUSA
    Mercedes-Benz USA, headquartered in Montvale, N.J., is responsible for the
sales, service and marketing of Mercedes-Benz products in the United States.
MBUSA sold 213,225 vehicles in the U.S. during 2002, setting the highest sales
volume ever in its history for the sixth consecutive record-breaking year.