Mitsubishi Motors Corporation announces that cumulative production of its environment-friendly GDI(*1) engine, which realizes significant reductions in fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, reached the 100,000 unit mark at the end of August.

GDI engine production figures (up to end of August, 1997)

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*1 Gasoline Direct Injection

6G72 3.0-liter GDI engine

Among the various environmental issues that exist today, carbon dioxide-associated global warming is a major cause for concern and people the world over will be following closely the proceedings at The Third Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC-COP3) to be held in Kyoto, Japan, in December this year.

In view of the current situation, Mitsubishi Motors considers that Japan should assume the initiative in taking specific steps in all areas in order to ameliorate the condition of the global environment. Playing its part in addressing the problem of global warming, the company was the first to develop and practically apply GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) engine technology, which realizes major reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. The company believes the GDI engine will become a benchmark power source for passenger cars in the 21st century and it is currently expanding the number of production models in which this power unit is offered as the primary choice of engine.

The first Mitsubishi model to feature the GDI engine was the new GALANT / LEGNUM series, launched in Japan in August 1996. Many trim levels in the GALANT series, and in the year since its introduction over 50 percent of LEGNUM models, are powered by the GDI engine.

This year, the company has introduced new PAJERO and CHALLENGER series powered by a V6 3.5-liter GDI engine, and a new DIAMANTE series in which all trim levels are powered by a V6 3.0-liter GDI engine. All gasoline CHALLENGER models are powered by the GDI engine.

In October, the company will put a 1.8-liter GDI engine CARISMA, produced at it's manufacturing arm in Europe Netherlands Car B.V. (NedCar), on European markets where there is considerable concern about carbon dioxide emissions and global warming. In 1998, the company plans to supply GDI engines for Volvo S40 / V40 models produced at NedCar.

Mitsubishi Motors wishes both to contribute to mitigating the effects of carbon dioxide related global warming by expanding the use of the GDI engine, and to actively address other environmental problems.