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메르세데스벤츠코리아가 본격적으로 사회공헌사업을 벌이기 위해 기금을 조성한다. BMW에 이어 벤츠가 가세함으로써 그 동안 인색한 기부활동으로 비판을 받아왔던 수입차 업계에 변화의 바람이 불지 주목된다.
한 업계 관계자는 23일 코리아헤럴드에 “이 기금의 대부분은 신차판매를 통해 조성될 예정”이라며 “매 신차 판매 시 계약금액의 0.1% 안팎을 기금으로 운용하는 방안에 대해 논의 중”이라고 밝혔다.
회사는 기금운영을 비롯한 종합적인 사회공헌계획을 조만간 공식적으로 발표한다는 계획이다.
국내 수입차 시장의 성장과 함께 벤츠 역시 견고한 성장세를 이어가고 있다. 지난해의 경우 매출 1조4000억원 영업이익 424억원으로 사상 최대 실적을 기록했다. 하지만 성장규모에 비해 기부금은 4억5000만원에 머물러 사회공헌에는 소극적인 모습이었다.
이에 지난해 다임러그룹 디터 제체 회장이 방한해 직접 “코리아 2020” 비전을 발표하며 2020년까지 연간판매대수를 4만대로 늘리는 것은 물론 국내 투자와 CSR활동을 확대하겠다고 밝힌바 있다.
벤츠의 글로벌라이벌이자 국내 1위 BMW는 이미 2011년부터 ‘BMW코리아미래재단’을 운영하며 인재양성사업 등을 지원하고 있다. 기금은 고객들을 독려해 매 신차 판매 시 BMW코리아, 구매자, 딜러사, 금융사 등으로부터 3만원씩 총 12만원을 기부 받아 운영하고 있다.
지난해 매출 1조9000억원 영업이익 257억원을 기록한 BMW는 재단 등을 통해 32억 1000만원을 기부해 현재 업계에서 가장 활발하게 사회공헌활동을 펼치고 있다. 최근 세월호 피해자와 유가족을 위해 10억원을 추가로 기부하기도 했다.
BMW, 벤츠 등 업계 선두회사들이 사회공헌활동을 확대함에 따라 다른 브랜드들에 대한 압박도 더욱 거세질 것으로 예상된다. 아우디폭스바겐코리아의 경우 지난해 매출과 영업이익이 2조2000억원과 408억원으로 BMW를 앞섰지만 기부액은 2억원에 불과했다.
(코리아헤럴드 이지윤기자)
<관련 영문기사>
Mercedes-Benz Korea to create CSR fund
Mercedes-Benz plans to create a social responsibility fund in South Korea where the top-selling German luxury car brand has often been criticized for being stingy in giving back to society.
“Most of the funding will come directly from each car they sell. The amount would be about 0.1 percent of the actual car price,” an industry source close to the matter said Monday on the condition of anonymity.
According to Korean officials, Mercedes-Benz Korea, along with two other local operations, Mercedes-Benz Financial and Daimler Truck, will announce the carmaker’s new CSR initiative, including more details of the fund, in the coming weeks.
In 2013, Mercedes posted 1.4 trillion won ($1.37 billion) in sales and 42.4 billion won in operating profit in Korea, while the company spent a tiny 451 million won on CSR activities here, becoming the target of public criticism amid soaring car sales.
The new CSR fund is part of the carmaker’s “Korea 2020” vision that was unveiled in November when Daimler Group chairman Dieter Zetsche visited Korea. At the time, the chairman pledged to double its annual car sales to some 40,000 vehicles by 2020 and ramp up efforts to expand investment and CSR activities in the market.
Mercedes’ archrival BMW has already begun the operation of a charity fund, called BMW Korea Future Fund, to support young Korean talents since July 2011.
BMW Korea, in particular, donates a combined 120,000 won on every new car purchase, with the buyer, the Korean unit, the dealership and the financial service company each contributing 30,000 won voluntarily.
BMW, the best-selling foreign car brand here, logged 1.9 trillion won in sales and 25.7 billion won in operating profit in 2013. The Korean unit , along with the Future Fund, donated 3.21 billion won, the largest amount by a foreign car brand, in the year.
With the industry’s top players revving up their CSR activities, other local units of foreign brands are expected to feel more pressure to follow suit.
Audi and Volkswagen, two hot-selling brands both owned by Volkswagen Group, donated just 210 million won last year, even though their combined operating profits, worth 40.8 billion won, outpaced those of BMW.
By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)
Mercedes-Benz Korea to create CSR fund
Mercedes-Benz plans to create a social responsibility fund in South Korea where the top-selling German luxury car brand has often been criticized for being stingy in giving back to society.
“Most of the funding will come directly from each car they sell. The amount would be about 0.1 percent of the actual car price,” an industry source close to the matter said Monday on the condition of anonymity.
According to Korean officials, Mercedes-Benz Korea, along with two other local operations, Mercedes-Benz Financial and Daimler Truck, will announce the carmaker’s new CSR initiative, including more details of the fund, in the coming weeks.
In 2013, Mercedes posted 1.4 trillion won ($1.37 billion) in sales and 42.4 billion won in operating profit in Korea, while the company spent a tiny 451 million won on CSR activities here, becoming the target of public criticism amid soaring car sales.
The new CSR fund is part of the carmaker’s “Korea 2020” vision that was unveiled in November when Daimler Group chairman Dieter Zetsche visited Korea. At the time, the chairman pledged to double its annual car sales to some 40,000 vehicles by 2020 and ramp up efforts to expand investment and CSR activities in the market.
Mercedes’ archrival BMW has already begun the operation of a charity fund, called BMW Korea Future Fund, to support young Korean talents since July 2011.
BMW Korea, in particular, donates a combined 120,000 won on every new car purchase, with the buyer, the Korean unit, the dealership and the financial service company each contributing 30,000 won voluntarily.
BMW, the best-selling foreign car brand here, logged 1.9 trillion won in sales and 25.7 billion won in operating profit in 2013. The Korean unit , along with the Future Fund, donated 3.21 billion won, the largest amount by a foreign car brand, in the year.
With the industry’s top players revving up their CSR activities, other local units of foreign brands are expected to feel more pressure to follow suit.
Audi and Volkswagen, two hot-selling brands both owned by Volkswagen Group, donated just 210 million won last year, even though their combined operating profits, worth 40.8 billion won, outpaced those of BMW.
By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)
