Deutschmobil cultural ambassadors begin cross-Canada tour in a Mercedes-Benz
Sprinter

TORONTO, March 8 /CNW/ - Mercedes-Benz Canada recently celebrated the beginning of the Deutschmobil cross-Canada tour. As a main sponsor of Deutschmobil in Canada, the company provided the use of a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter to travel coast-to-coast to encourage young individuals to take an interest in, and have enthusiasm for, modern Germany, its language and society.

Marcus Breitschwerdt, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada, joined Mrs. Sabine Sparwasser, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Toronto, Ms. Sonja Griegoschewski, Director of the Goethe-Institut Toronto, and a large group of students and faculty at an event at Appleby College in Oakville to officially hand over the Deutschmobil and kick-off its exciting 14,000 km journey.

Piloted by Eva and Florian, two enthusiastic teachers and young language ambassadors, the Sprinter is packed with all of the tools necessary to help them share their passion and knowledge to help students across Canada learn more about one of Canada's important trading partners. With the support of Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc., Eva and Florian will visit numerous Canadian schools with the goal of representing German culture and language as an attractive, innovative and colourful resource for everyone.

For the first month, Eva and Florian will tour the eastern parts of Canada and visit many towns and cities including Kingston, Ottawa, Montréal, Québec and Halifax. After a short break in Toronto, the team will continue their journey to the west for two more months. Schools in large cities such as Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria, as well as many other smaller centres along the way, are also looking forward to welcoming the Deutschmobil and its crew. Deutschmobil is a cooperative and varied language and culture project in collaboration with the German Embassy Ottawa.

"Today information can travel around the world in an instant, and businesses operate on a global scale across international borders. Canada's diverse cultural mosaic and the myriad of languages spoken is a proud aspect of our country's heritage and a unique and important factor for its continued growth," said Marcus Breitschwerdt, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada. "Mercedes-Benz Canada is proud to help foster a deeper understanding of other cultures and languages in Canada. We believe that initiatives such as the Deutschmobil cross-Canada tour will help expand students' horizons and contribute to further broaden the cultural understanding and respect between nations and continents."

Perfectly suited for this pan-Canadian adventure, the versatile Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is the recognized segment-leader in many categories including cargo capacity, turning diameter and fuel efficiency. These attributes will help the Deutschmobil team easily navigate highways as well as smaller secondary roads, ensure they can take all the gear and supplies necessary for their 14,000 km journey, and also guarantee that they spend less time refueling and more time on the road and in the schools.

Exemplary active and passive safety systems will also keep the team safe throughout their voyage. These include standard driver and front passenger airbags and the new generation ADAPTIVE ESP, which is fully integrated with the anti-lock braking, electronic brake force distribution, hydraulic Brake Assist and acceleration skid control systems. In addition, the comfortable and luxuriously appointed interior includes Radio CD sound 5, heated seats and a high output A/C system in the rear to help guarantee a comfortable, climate controlled journey regardless of the prevailing weather conditions.

For more information, or to follow the Deutschmobil's progress, please visit: http://deutschmobil.ca/

About Mercedes-Benz Canada

Mercedes-Benz Canada is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of the four brands within the Mercedes-Benz Group in Canada: Mercedes-Benz, smart, AMG, and Maybach. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. employs approximately 1,250 people in 19 locations across Canada. Through a nationwide network of 14 Mercedes-Benz owned retail operations and 39 authorized dealerships, Mercedes-Benz Canada sold 26,942 vehicles in 2009, the best year ever reported for Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.

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For further information: JoAnne Caza, [phone], [email protected]; Michael Minielly, [phone], [email protected]. Further information from Mercedes-Benz is available on the internet at: www.media.mercedes-benz.ca