New 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander Designated an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) TOP SAFETY PICK+

CYPRESS, Calif., Aug. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) is honored to learn that its completely redesigned new 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander crossover has today been named a 2013 "Top Safety Pick+" award winner by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130801/LA56086)

Mitsubishi Motors is the only automobile manufacturer to have its entire SUV lineup named as IIHS 2013 "Top Safety Pick+" award winners. Only 3 out of a total of 15 vehicles tested in the Small SUV segment received the "plus" distinction, and 2 of those 3 are Mitsubishi Motors vehicles; the all-new 7-passenger 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander joins the 5-passenger Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, which earned the TSP+ award in June.  

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is now awarding the new "Top Safety Pick+" designation as its highest accolade for vehicles that offer superior crash protection. The new 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander's "Top Safety Pick+" achievement indicates that it meets the tougher crash safety standards set forth by the non-profit vehicle research and crash test ratings agency that are now necessary to receive its highest accolade.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rates vehicles as "good," "acceptable," "marginal" or "poor" based on performance in a moderate overlap frontal crash, small overlap frontal crash, side impact, rollover, plus evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against neck injuries in rear impacts. The "Top Safety Pick+" requires a vehicle to score a "good" rating in at least four of the five tests and no less than an "acceptable" in the fifth test.

Of particular note, the 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander received a "good" rating in the important small overlap frontal crash.  The Outlander is one of only two Small SUVs to achieve an overall "good" rating in the new test.

Added just last year, the small overlap test "replicates what happens when the front corner of the vehicle strikes another vehicle or object like a tree or utility pole," according to the IIHS. A full 25% of the front of the vehicle on the driver's side hits a 5-foot-tall barrier at 40 mph in the IIHS evaluation.

The new 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander's and 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport's exceptional IIHS "Top Safety Pick+" ratings can be attributed to numerous advanced high-tech design features including the increased use of high-tensile steel and Mitsubishi Motors' patented Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution (RISE) safety body construction system.

Engineered into every Mitsubishi Motors vehicle, the Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution (RISE) technology features 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 from the cabin.

What's more, the new 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander is available with a number of highly advanced safety technologies including radar-based Forward Collision Mitigation (FCM) and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) systems as well as a camera-based Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system (available as part of the Touring Package on SE and GT models).

With a starting MSRP of only $22,995, the new 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander comes with a long list of standard features (including seating for seven occupants) and is one of the most fuel efficient crossover vehicles in its class with an EPA fuel mileage rating of 31 mpg highway (ES and SE FWD models).

For more information about the new 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander, please visit media.mitsubishicars.com and for more on the 2014 Outlander's "Top Safety Pick+" award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), please log on to iihs.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.

SOURCE Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.