A lucky boot boy at Birmingham City football club received an end of season treat when Olivier Kapo handed him the keys to a Mercedes-Benz.

James McPike has polished the boots of the first-team player all season and will now be polishing a new Mercedes-Benz after the generous gesture from his team mate.

Tthe Frenchman had already taken his boots home and instead gave him the keys to his Mercedes-Benz as a reward for a hard season’s work.

According to the Sun, the youngster "perked up" when Kapo handed over the keys and the log book and offered to pay for the first year of insurance.

"It was a magnificent gesture and one that’s entirely in keeping with Kapo’s character," said Birmingham’s manager Alex McLeish.

Youngsters clean the boots of first-team players throughout the season and are there to learn their trade from the professionals.

Daimler AG is helping to support the victims of the earthquake in China and those suffering from the effects of the cyclone in Myanmar.

Employees working in China have raised GBP12,700 to help locally active aid organisations such as the Chinese Red Cross.

Daimler North East Asia (DNEA) has also provided trucks for use in the disaster areas as China attempts to clean up after the natural disaster.

The help comes on top of the GBP31,700 given by Daimler the day after the quake and Ulrich Walker, chairman and chief executive officer of the DNEA said the disaster is far worse than originally thought.

"We have therefore decided to significantly increase our support," he explained.

Daimler is helping aid authorities to coordinate search and rescue efforts and supporting the care of homeless people and the reconstruction of the buildings.

As well as assisting the situation in China, Daimler has also provided GBP158,800 to the crisis in Myanmar.

The money will be used when aid organisation are able to reach the area and carry out their tasks to the benefit of the victims.

Mercedes-Benz’ association with some of the world’s premier sporting events is continuing this week as it backs the Hamburg Masters.

The automobile brand has been associated with the ATP Tennis Masters tournaments for the last 13 years and tennis fans will see the three-pointed star at the Hamburg event.

Mercedes-Benz’ logo can be seen on the nets surrounding the court as the greatest players in the world compete on the clay surface at Hamburg.

With over GBP1.8 million of prize money in the offing, all the world’s top stars have turned out to compete including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Britain’s Andy Murray.

Nadal and Murray are set to clash today in the third round of the competition that is seen as a warm up to the French Open at Roland Garros.

The Spaniard, an expert on clay, could well walk away as the tournament champion in what is sure to be a thrilling finish.

The board of management at Daimler AG has appointed Martin Jaeger as the new head of global external affairs and public policy.

Mr Jaeger is currently Foreign Office spokesman for the German government in Berlin and will take up his new role on September 1st 2008 replacing Robert Liberatore who left the company in March.

The role will see Mr Jaeger responsible for the firm’s global relations with governments and other political and civil organisations and he will report to Dr Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the board.

After beginning his career as a freelance journalist, he joined the German Foreign Office and held a number of posts including his role as a speech writer for the Federal Minister.

He has also been responsible for press relations for the head of the Federal Chancellery and has been in his role as a spokesman for the Foreign Office since 2005.

Dr Dieter Spoeri has been filling in the role after the departure of Mr Liberatore in March.

Mercedes-Benz has achieved an overall four star rating in the latest JD Power consumer satisfaction index (CSI) achieving an 82.8 per cent score from the survey of 16,000 UK motorists.

The rating positioned the automaker sixth in the table overall, climbing from 11th last year.

JD Power’s consumer satisfaction index includes 28 brands and 100 models and owners provide detailed information about their cars which they have typically owned for about two years.

The current survey covers the period from September 2005 to August 2006.

Owners rate the manufacturers on 77 attributes grouped in four areas; quality/reliability, vehicle appeal, service and ownership cost.

With a score of 84.7 per cent those owners placed Mercedes-Benz second in the results for vehicle appeal.

In the league table of cars, Mercedes-Benz E-Class owners gave it five stars and a rating of 84.2 per cent.

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class also achieved a high score of 82.8 per cent, just above the Mercedes-Benz A-Class which scored 82.2 per cent.

Explore the latest range of Mercedes-Benz Carsand find the model to satisfy you.

Sales of Mercedes-Benz Cars reached 119,000 units in April, an increase of 22 per cent on the same month last year.

This means that Mercedes-Benz has now delivered 437,700 vehicles since the turn of the year - a 14 per cent increase on last year’s figure.

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class continues to be a hit with customers as world-wide sales of the saloon and estate model reached 35,600 in April - a new record eclipsing April 2007 figures of 18,900.

Along with the C-Class, the A-Class and B-Class range also achieved sales growth with deliveries increasing by 18 per cent to 23,800 models.

Sales of the smart fortwo also remain strong, while it is the subject of a new advertising campaign in the UK sales worldwide in April reached 13,600 models.

Strong market performances could also be seen by the E-Class which saw its April sales increase by 25 per cent on last year’s figure.

View the latest Mercedes-Benz cars available in the UK

Fans of the smart car will be seeing the two-seater appearing on new television adverts in the coming weeks.

The advertising campaign, which began this weekend, sees three new adverts show how safe, practical and environmentally-friendly the smart fortwo can be.

Viewers will see a one-tonne wrecking ball smash into a smart fortwo only for the steel safety cell to absorb the impact of the ball and leave the car with minimal damage.

The vehicle’s practicality is being shown when a tumble dryer is loaded into the back of the car showing its spacious design while the car travels from London to Edinburgh (433) miles on just one 33 litre tank of petrol.

"The ads highlight incredible facts about the car in a uniquely smart way," said Dermot Kelly, managing director of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

Fans of the car can see the damage inflicted by the wrecking ball with their own eyes later this year.

"The car used in the filming of the safety advert will be on display at Mercedes-Benz World during the television campaign and the smart Festival, taking place on Saturday 21 June," Mr Kelly explained.

Find out more at thesmart.co.uk

Sales of Mercedes-Benz Cars have increased by 17 per cent to 318,000 vehicles in the first three months of this year - a new record for the first quarter.

The smart brand also improved its unit sales from 10,800 to 31,200 cars.

Yet again the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the smart fortwo proved to be particularly popular with customers.

The Mercedes-Benz brand saw 284,000 vehicles, an increase of ten per cent, sold in the first quarter.

Mercedes-Benz Cars’ EBIT also improved by 45 per cent to GBP909 million.

Worldwide unit sales in Mercedes-Benz Cars are expected to increase during 2008 and surpass the levels of previous years.

The full availability of the saloon and estate versions of the new C-Class and the smart fortwo are expected to contribute to this.

Despite the effects of the credit crunch on the global economy, Daimler expects to meet the unit-sales targets it has set for all its divisions during 2008.

The C-Class has been enjoying great success, March represented the best ever sales for the saloon model at 4,930 units while the previous best quarter (April-June 2003) saw sales of 7,125.

Kim Cattrall, star of Sex and the City, has admitted her love for the Mercedes-Benz brand.

Speaking at the Laureus World Sports Award 2008, the star talked of her "romantic love affair" with Mercedes-Benz even when she was a struggling actress.

Now she is a well known megastar, Cattrall revealed her happiness to own a Mercedes-Benz herself.

"I just ordered an SL… I am so happy that I am successful enough to own one myself," she said.

"I think that the Mercedes is made by very, very smart, passionate people. I’ve been playing this very passionate character for a very long time - I think it goes very well hand in hand, with me as a person and with me as an actor," she added.

Cattrall has extended her relationship with Mercedes-Benz even further after she appeared at the North American Auto Show and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

The new facelift SL-Class model has just launched in the UK, Explore more online.

Sales of Mercedes-Benz Cars have increased by 17 per cent to 318,000 vehicles in the first three months of this year - a new record for the first quarter.

The smart brand also improved its unit sales from 10,800 to 31,200 cars.

Yet again the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the smart fortwo proved to be particularly popular with customers.

The Mercedes-Benz brand saw 284,000 vehicles, an increase of ten per cent, sold in the first quarter.

Mercedes-Benz Cars’ EBIT also improved by 45 per cent to GBP909 million.

Worldwide unit sales in Mercedes-Benz Cars are expected to increase during 2008 and surpass the levels of previous years.

The full availability of the saloon and estate versions of the new C-Class and the smart fortwo are expected to contribute to this.

Despite the effects of the credit crunch on the global economy, Daimler expects to meet the unit-sales targets it has set for all its divisions during 2008.

The C-Class has been enjoying great success, March represented the best ever sales for the saloon model at 4,930 units while the previous best quarter (April-June 2003) saw sales of 7,125.