Mercedes-Benz Puts DRIVE YOUR FUTURE Scholarships Behind Students Who Are the First in Their Families to Go to College

Over $3.5 Million Awarded to Nearly 1,000 College-bound Students to Date

MONTVALE, N.J., May 31 -- Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today announced the names of 62 college-bound teenagers who will join the ranks of nearly 1,000 other students nationwide as recipients of Mercedes-Benz 's DRIVE YOUR FUTURE scholarships. The scholarships are awarded to students who are the first in their families to attend college and who demonstrate outstanding academic performance and a commitment to helping others. The DRIVE YOUR FUTURE Scholarship Program was developed by Mercedes-Benz USA in 2004 to help alleviate some of the financial pressures of first-generation college-bound students -- many of whom would be unable to pursue a post-secondary education due to the enormous financial burden.

In the competitive application process, nearly 5,000 students nationwide applied for scholarships, 62 of whom were selected based on academic performance, leadership, involvement in school and community activities and financial need. Each of the college-bound graduating high school seniors will receive a $10,000 scholarship ($2,500 per year over 4 years) to help offset rising college tuition costs.

This year Mercedes-Benz USA, with support from its dealers nationwide, will provide $620,000 in scholarship funding, raising the total amount granted since the program's launch in 2004 to $3.5 million to nearly 1,000 ambitious college-bound students. All of the DRIVE YOUR FUTURE award recipients are the first generation in their families to pursue a college education and many have overcome personal hardships due to underprivileged backgrounds.

"Ours is a brand that is founded on a commitment to nothing less than excellence and it has come to represent a dream fulfilled," said Ernst Lieb, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA. "We want to encourage these students -- who are certainly among the best and the brightest of their generation -- to accept nothing less than the best, however they define that. We hope these scholarships can help remove some of the impediments so these young men and women can focus on accomplishing their dreams."

"According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average student loan debt for a bachelor's degree student is $19,300," said Barb Weber, assistant vice president of Scholarship America, the non-profit organization that administers the Mercedes-Benz DRIVE YOUR FUTURE program. "The importance of scholarship programs, such as the Mercedes-Benz DRIVE YOUR FUTURE program, is imperative in helping all students move forward with college enrollment and the completion of a college degree."

One of important components of the program is based on the principle of "paying it forward," or helping someone else in need. Each year, DRIVE YOUR FUTURE scholarship recipients are asked to serve as ambassadors of Mercedes- Benz USA philanthropy by giving back to their communities through activities such as mentoring/tutoring younger students, working with Boys and Girls Clubs or Big Brothers Big Sisters, among other activities. Nearly 1,000 students have benefited, or will benefit, from DRIVE YOUR FUTURE and will, in turn, give back in some way to help someone else achieve his/her dreams, reaching countless people in need.

The DRIVE YOUR FUTURE program was developed by Mercedes-Benz USA in collaboration with Scholarship America to respond to a critical need in the United States for scholarships to help students offset the costs of postsecondary education. DRIVE YOUR FUTURE is part of MBUSA's broader philanthropic initiative aimed at educating and empowering future generations by helping young people reach their full potential and become the leaders of their generation.

Committed to the communities in which employees live and work, MBUSA has also built alliances with a number of youth organizations across the country. The company supports many of these efforts through employee volunteer activities, mentoring and community outreach efforts. Philanthropic initiatives are reviewed and implemented through MBUSA corporate headquarters in Montvale, N.J., and through its regional offices around the country. For more information, interested students may visit http://www.mbusa.com/drivefuture.

Mercedes-Benz USA

Mercedes-Benz USA, headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of all Mercedes-Benz and Maybach products in the United States. In 2006, MBUSA achieved an all-time sales record of 248,080 new vehicles, setting the highest sales volume ever in its history and achieving 13 consecutive years of sales growth. More information on MBUSA and its products can be found on the Internet at http://www.mbusa.com/ and http://www.maybachusa.com/.

Scholarship America

Scholarship America is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to mobilize America, through scholarships and educational support, to make postsecondary education possible for all students. More information is available at http://www.scholarshipamerica.org/.

              2007 DRIVE YOUR FUTURE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

  State  First Name  Last Name  Home Town    High School     College

  AK     Jennifer    Henry      Anchorage    A.J. Dimond     University of
                                             High School     Findlay

  AL     Paige       Perry      Adamsville   Jefferson       University of
                                             Cnty Intl       South Alabama
                                             Baccalaureate

  AR     Jewell      Via        Ozark        Ozark High      University of
                                             School          Arkansas at
                                                             Fort Smith

  AZ     Martha      Mosqueda   San Luis     San Luis High   University of
                                             School          Arizona

  CA     Steven      Chua       Winnetka     Chatsworth      University of
                                             High School     California:
                                                             Berkeley

  CA     Chrissie    Ng         San Leandro  San Leandro     University of
                                             High School     California: San
                                                             Diego

  CO     Katherine   Millican   Cortez       Montezuma-      Colorado State
                                             Cortez High     University
                                             School

  CT     Neena       Kamath     Norwalk      Brien McMahan   Harvard College
                                             High School

  DC     Gilbert     Castillo   Washington   Benjamin        Florida
                                             Banneker AHS    Institute of
                                                             Technology

  DE     Justin      Robles     Dover        Saint Thomas    St. John's
                                             More Academy    University

  FL     Joanna      Rodriguez  Pembroke     McArthur High   University of
                                Pines        School          Florida

  FL     Markevius   Collier    Jacksonville Samuel W.       University of
                                             Wolfson High    North Florida
                                             School

  FL     Marc        Atkinson   Jacksonville Robert E. Lee   Florida
                                             High School     Agricultural
                                                             and Mechanical
                                                             University

  GA     Wilbert    Powell      Mount Vernon Montgomery      Georgia
                                             County High     Southern
                                             School          University

  HI     Jester     Galiza      Ewa Beach    James Campbell  Dartmouth
                                             High School     College

  IA     Belinda    Wagy        Cedar Rapids Thomas          Iowa Wesleyan
                                             Jefferson High  College

  ID     Tierney    Busse       McCall       Meadows Valley  Northwest
                                             High School     Nazarene
                                                             University

  IL     Yu         Chen        Moline       Moline Senior   University of
                                             High School     Illinois at
                                                             Urbana-
                                                             Champaign

  IN     Jourdan    Day         Evansville   F.J. Reitz      Ohio State
                                             High School     University:
                                                             Columbus Campus

  KS     Chelsie   Gaskell      Horton       Horton High     American
                                             School          Academy of Hair
                                                             Design and Day
                                                             Spa

  KY     Michelle  Glass        Covington    Holmes High     Eastern
                                             School          Kentucky
                                                             University

  LA     Sarah     Vining       Berwick      Berwick High    University of
                                             School          Louisiana at
                                                             Lafayette

  MA     Meekerley Sanon        Lawrence     Lawrence High   Massachusetts
                                             School          College of
                                                             Pharmacy and
                                                             Health Sciences

  MD     Karmena   Diggs        Glenarden    Charles Herbert Spelman College
                                             Flowers High
                                             School

  ME     Kassie    Lovely       Easton       Easton Jr/Sr    Husson College
                                             High School

  MI     Thao      Dinh         Holland      Holland High    Michigan State
                                             School          University

  MN     Denise    Tietz        Walnut Grove Westbrook       Minnesota State
                                             Walnut Grove    University:
                                             High School     Mankato

  MO     Jordan    Taillon      Lampe        Blue Eye High   University of
                                             School          Missouri: Rolla

  MS     Anastasia Allmon       Hattiesburg  MS School for   Millsaps
                                             Mathematics &   College
                                             Science

  MT     Danni      Thom        Stanford     Stanford High   University of
                                             School          Montana:
                                                             Missoula

  NC     Saul       Flores      Charlotte    Harding         North Carolina
                                             University      State
                                             High School     University

  ND     Stephanie  Gramlow     Fullerton    Oakes High      University of
                                             School          North Dakota

  NE     Colby      McMann      Shubert      Southeast       Wayne State
                                             Nebraska        College
                                             Consolidated HS

  NH     Shannon    Tsaltas     Seabrook     Winnacunnet     Harvard College
                                             High School

  NJ     Anni       Wong        Morganville  Marlboro High   Cornell
                                             School

  NJ     Pebbles    Kelly       Newark       Academy of      Essex County
                                             Vocational      College
                                             Careers

  NM     Anna       Garliss     Santa Rosa   Santa Rosa      New Mexico
                                             High School     State
                                                             University

  NV     Joanna     Kang        Las Vegas    Durango High    University of
                                             School          California:
                                                             Irvine

  NY     Felicia    Baldwin     Parish       Mexico Academy  University of
                                             and Central     San Diego
                                             Schools

  NY     Katrina    Green       Brooklyn     Automotive      University of
                                             High School     New York
                                             State           College of
                                                             Technology at
                                                             Delhi

  NY     May        Wong        New York     NYC Lab School  University:
                                             Columbia        Columbia
                                                             College

  NY     Susheian   Brown       Bronx        Bronx Academy   City University
                                             of Health       of New York
                                             Careers

  NY     Ilana      Vakhovskaya Brooklyn     Edward R.       Syracuse
                                             Murrow High     University
                                             School

  NY     Lauren     Peart       Bronx        The Young       Spelman College
                                             Women's
                                             Leadership
                                             School

  OH     Lauren     Brown       Barberton    Barberton High  State
                                             School Ohio     University:
                                                             Columbus Campus

  OH     Ai Binh    Ho          Columbus     Columbus School Kenyon College
                                             for Girls

  OK     Tram       Phan        Oklahoma     Westmoore High  University of
                                City         School          Oklahoma

  OR     Joshua     Savey       Reedsport    Reedsport High  University of
                                             School          Oregon

  PA     William    Rech        Horsham      Hatboro-Horsham Penn State
                                             High School     University Park

  PR     Johary     Rivera      Orocovis     Jose Rojas      Recinto
                                             Cortes HS       Universitano de
                                                             Rio Piedras

  RI     Caitlin    Gillooly    Johnston     St. Mary        Northeastern
                                             Academy Bay     University
                                             View

  SC     Hieu       Tran        Greenville   Southside High  Massachusetts
                                             School          Institute of
                                                             Technology

  SD     Carmen     Hirsch      Highmore     Highmore High   Hope College
                                             School

  TN     Yoseph     Beki        Antioch      Brentwood       Vanderbilt
                                             Academy         University

  TX     Jose       Pesina      Brownsville  Gladys Porter   Harvard College
                                             High School

  UT     Holly      Damron      Clawson      Christian       Westmont
                                             Liberty Home    College
                                             School/EHS

  VA     Wayne      Ngai        Chester      Maggie L.       University of
                                             Walker          Pennsylvania
                                             Governor's
                                             School

  VT     Tyler      Gillingham  North        Woodstock Union St. Michael's
                                Pomfret      High School     College

  WA     Jessica    Baskaran    Sequim       Sequim High     University of
                                             School          Washington

  WI     Jacob      Kapellen    Sheboygan    Sheboygan       University of
                                             North High      Wisconsin-
                                                             Madison

  WV     Danielle   Fink        Keyser       Keyser High     West Virginia
                                             School          University

  WY     Ashley     Carter      Upton        Upton High      Northwest
                                             School          College