Eberhardt Appointed Vice President, Marketing, for Mercedes-Benz of North America

20 March 1998

    MONTVALE, N.J., March 20 -- Mercedes-Benz of North America,
Inc., today announced the appointment of Joachim (Joe) W. Eberhardt to the
newly created position of vice president, marketing at the company's Montvale
headquarters, effective April 1, 1998.
    In his new position, Eberhardt will join the company's executive
management, reporting directly to MBNA president Mike Jackson, and will be in
charge of all product marketing for passenger cars/light trucks, service,
parts and customer care; marketing communications; retail development and
engineering services for the U.S. operation.  Eberhardt's appointment is the
next step in the previously announced management transition from chairman
Michael Bassermann to president Mike Jackson in preparation for Bassermann's
retirement on December 31, 1998.
    According to Jackson, "At a time when we are experiencing the strongest
growth in our history, integration within our most strategic areas is
critical.  Joe brings to his new position a combination of retail, marketing
and international expertise which will greatly enhance our efforts as we go
forward with our sales and marketing offensive."
    Eberhardt worked with MBNA for eight years before returning to
Daimler-Benz AG's Stuttgart, Germany, world headquarters in 1996 to assume
responsibility for worldwide product marketing/management, his most recent
position.
    Eberhardt began his career with Daimler-Benz in 1985 as a business analyst
in Stuttgart.  After several other assignments at Daimler-Benz in Germany,
Eberhardt came to MBNA as group manager, executive staff in 1989, responsible
for managing all corporate strategic projects.  From 1993 to 1994, he served
as general manager of Mercedes-Benz Manhattan Inc., the company-owned
dealership in New York City.
    In 1995, he returned to Montvale as general manager, marketing/product
management, passenger cars and light trucks.
    A graduate of the master's degree program at the Academy for
Administration and Economics of Stuttgart, Eberhardt earned his master's
degree in business administration at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business
in New York in 1993.  He is currently a resident of Park Ridge, N.J. and plans
to relocate to Kinnelon, N.J. in the near future.

SOURCE  Mercedes-Benz of North America, Inc.