German premium carmaker Mercedes-Benz on Tuesday announced a partnership with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation in China, aiming to support children living in underprivileged areas in China with the spirit of sports.
Laureus was founded by Daimler and Richemont in 1999, supported by its global partners, Mercedes-Benz and IWC. This year is a special one for Laureus in China as the Laureus World Sports Awards, described as the "Oscar of the sporting world," were held in China for the first time in Shanghai on Wednesday.
"As a patron partner of Laureus, Daimler fully recognizes and supports its practice of promoting social development, addressing social problems and giving teenagers in trouble the opportunity to change their lives through a range of sports charity programs," said Hubertus Troska, board member of Daimler AG and chairman and CEO of Daimler Greater China.
Through the core programs "Laureus Training Program" and "Laureus Hope School Program," Mercedes-Benz aims to help around 40,000 children in 129 Hope Schools in China this year. By the end of 2016, this program is planning to train over 1,000 physical education teachers, covering over 400 Hope Schools.
To mark its strategic partnership with Laureus Sport for Good Foundation in China, the company launched a limited GLA 260 4MATIC Laureus Special Edition. This is the first-ever exclusive limited model presented by Mercedes-Benz for its CSR program.
Sixteen GLA 260 4MATIC Laureus Special Edition vehicles were created to be sold exclusively in support of Laureus in China to commemorate its 16 years of history providing social support worldwide. The car is priced at 398,000 yuan ($65,200), and the special edition, featuring matte grey metallic exterior and a Laureus badge on C-pillar, is only purchasable through social media WeChat.
"The revenues from the sales of the special edition will be donated in the name of the customers. By doing so, our customers as well as Laureus and Mercedes-Benz can all help in this work," said Nicholas Speeks, president and CEO at Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co Ltd.
Mercedes-Benz has already invested a total of 100 million yuan in its CSR projects in China since 2007. In 2010, in partnership with the China Youth Development Foundation, the company set up the Star Fund, which is designed to offer help to children in less privileged situations.
So far around 200,000 children in 400 Hope Schools in China have benefited from the "Happy Music Classroom" program under the Star Fund, which has laid a solid foundation for future CSR programs of Mercedes-Benz. The company said that the new sports charity program will also be supported by the Star Fund.
Mercedes-Benz says environmental protection and social care are also part of its social responsibility focus in China. In 2007, in partnership with UNESCO, Mercedes-Benz initiated a program to help preserve major World Heritage sites in China. As of now, seven sites, including the giant panda sanctuaries in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, have accepted help from Mercedes-Benz.
As the premium automaker is gaining a stronger foothold in the Chinese market, it is also stepping up efforts in corporate social responsibility programs. In 2015, Mercedes-Benz will donate around 50 million yuan to the Star Fund to help children in need in China, the company said.
