Mitsubishi Motors' 2014 Outlander & Outlander Sport Earn Coveted Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick Awards, Offering Consumers the Safest Crossover Model Lineup in America

CYPRESS, Calif., Dec. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) has seen its all-new 7-passenger 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander named an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) "Top Safety Pick+" – the highest safety achievement designated by the non-profit vehicle research and crash test ratings agency – and its 5-passenger 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport designated the only IIHS "Top Safety Pick" model in the Small SUV category. With these accolades, Mitsubishi Motors offers automotive consumers the safest crossover model lineup available in America today.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131219/LA36201)

Due to more stringent testing criteria for the IIHS "Top Safety Pick+" and "Top Safety Pick" awards, only 39 vehicle models earned either award in 2014 – a drastic reduction when compared to the 130 vehicle models that earned IIHS award recognition in 2013.

The redesigned 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander was one of only 22 vehicles to earn the IIHS "Top Safety Pick+" accolade for 2014.

In order for a vehicle to become an IIHS "Top Safety Pick+" for 2014, a test subject must not only display exemplary performance in the various stringent crash testing criteria, but it must now "have systems that can prevent or mitigate front-to-rear crashes," according to the IIHS.

The 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander's exceptional IIHS "Top Safety Pick+" rating can be attributed to the superlative engineering of its rigid, high-tensile steel body/chassis along with the availability of numerous advanced features including a radar-based Forward Collision Mitigation (FCM) accident/impact reduction technology. In its evaluation of the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander's Forward Collision Mitigation (FCM) – a system that includes both audio and visual warnings to the driver as well as initiates automatic braking if necessary – the IIHS awarded the system an "advanced" rating (grades are "superior," "advanced" or "basic"). Other available next-generation safety technology features include a camera-based Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and radar-based Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC).

With a starting MSRP of only $22,995, the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander is one of the lowest-priced vehicles in the segment available with such advanced safety technologies.

For 2014, the IIHS raised the qualifying standard for the "Top Safety Pick" rating achieved by the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport as its vehicle evaluation now includes the small overlap crash test. According to the agency, the small overlap crash test "replicates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle strikes another vehicle or object like a tree or utility pole."

"We've made it more difficult for manufacturers this year," said IIHS President Adrian Lund. "Following a gradual phase-in, the small overlap crash is now part of our basic battery of tests, and good or acceptable performance should be part of every vehicle's safety credentials. We also felt it was time to offer extra recognition to manufacturers that are offering a proven crash test avoidance technology."     

"Having our all-new 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander named a 'Top Safety Pick+' and our 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport becoming the exclusive 'Top Safety Pick'-rated vehicle in the Small SUV category is a testament to the precision design and engineering that we strive to instill in every one of our vehicles," said Yoichi Yokozawa, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA).

A key safety technology that helped the 2014 Outlander Sport (starting MSRP of only $19,470) attain the distinguished IIHS "Top Safety Pick" safety rating is Mitsubishi Motors' patented Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution (RISE). Engineered into every Mitsubishi Motors vehicle, RISE is Mitsubishi Motors' safety body construction system featuring integrated energy-absorbing crumple zones and engineered reinforcements strategically placed within the body/chassis that provide maximum protection to the vehicle's occupants in the event of an impact by absorbing and/or dispersing a great deal of this energy away from the cabin.

For more information on the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander and Outlander Sport crossover vehicles, please visit media.mitsubishicars.com and for more information on the "Top Safety Pick+" and the "Top Safety Pick" awards by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), please visit iihs.org.

About Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for all research & development, manufacturing, marketing, sales and financial services for Mitsubishi Motors in the United States. MMNA sells sedans and crossovers/SUVs through a network of approximately 400 dealers. MMNA is leading the way in the development of highly-efficient, affordably-priced new gasoline-powered automobiles while using its industry-leading knowledge in battery electric vehicles to develop future EV and PHEV models. For more information, contact the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at (888) 560-6672 or visit media.mitsubishicars.com.

SOURCE Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.