This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

VANCE, Ala. (WHNT) — Alabama’s Mercedes-Benz plant is pushing for more students to enter the automotive field.

Last week, the Vance-based plant announced it donated 15 vehicles, valued at $700,000, to 13 Alabama high schools and colleges to use in their classrooms.

“Donating these vehicles to our schools is a win-win for everyone,” said Michael Goebel, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc. (MBUSI) “We have found a sustainable solution to re-purpose vehicles – that would have been destroyed at the end of their test cycle – and diverted them instead for an educational purpose.”

To date, Mercedes-Benz has donated over 40 vehicles to area high schools, with the majority of the cars being used to test quality standards.

“We are committed to getting vehicles out in the community when they become available – especially for those schools with automotive tech programs in place,” said MBUSI Human Resource Specialist Steve Colburn. “We want these vehicles to be used and for the students to really learn the technical aspects of our SUVS.”