Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) - through its wholly-owned subsidiary Mitsubishi Motors Research & Development of America, Inc. (MRDA) - recently donated a Mitsubishi i-MiEV 100% electric-powered vehicle and provided important technical assistance to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in the organization's ongoing efforts to provide critical electric vehicle (EV) rescue and extrication training to fire and rescue personnel. This donation marks the first time in the United States that a vehicle manufacturer has provided an all-electric vehicle to the NFPA for such purposes.

As the number of electric vehicles on the road increases, the development of proper training materials and exercises is vitally important to the safety of fire and rescue professionals as well as the occupants inside the electric vehicle. With the donation of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and key technical support provided by Mitsubishi Motors Research & Development of America, Inc. (MRDA) to the NFPA, the organization was able to conduct potentially life-saving research and data acquisition to help develop proper safety protocols in areas including extinguishing fires, rescuing occupants from within the vehicle and using rescue tools properly in extrication tasks to avoid high-voltage wiring and EV-specific hardware and systems.

"I am grateful to Mitsubishi Motors for providing a vehicle and the outstanding support and cooperation that made this project such a resounding success. Mitsubishi's voluntary effort to support this activity shows an overall commitment to ensuring the safety of all first responders when working at vehicle-related incidents - especially when electric vehicles are involved," said NFPA Fire & Rescue Training Consultant, Ron Moore.

Professional video documentation of the research and the tasks completed will also allow NFPA to create a video-based training program, making important information gathered from this one-day effort available to rescuers far and wide.

About the National Fire Protection Association

Established in 1896 and with 70,000 members around the globe, the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is on a mission to reduce fire and other hazards by providing and advocating consensus research, training, education and codes and standards. The NFPA is the world's leading advocate of fire prevention and an authoritative source on public safety and develops, publishes and disseminates more than 300 codes and standards intended to minimize the possibility and effects of fire and other risks. For more information, please visit www.nfpa.org.

About Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for all manufacturing, sales, marketing, research and development operations for Mitsubishi Motors in the United States. MMNA sells coupes, sedans and sport utility vehicles through a network of approximately 400 dealers. In November of 2011, MMNA launched the battery-powered electric vehicle Mitsubishi i-MiEV as part of a corporate mission to offer consumers more environmentally responsible modes of transportation. This battery-powered electric vehicle technology addresses the need for vehicles that produce zero tailpipe emissions and support a growing agenda for sustainability. For more information, contact the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at (888) 560-6672 or visit media.mitsubishicars.com.