Mitsubishi Motors' eco-friendly ultra-efficiency GDI engine, which realizes substantial reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, has recently received the 1998 Austrian Car of the Year Environment Protection Award, and the 1998 Danish Car of the Year Special Award.

The Austrian Car of the Year Awards are hosted by ARBO, Austria's oldest and largest automobile club. Made up of auto journalists and track and rally drivers, the panel each year selects the three best new models launched during the year, together with the technology that contributes most to environment protection in the automotive industry.

The selection of Mitsubishi Motors' GDI engine for the 1998 Environment Protection Award follows the selection of the company's CARISMA sedan as 1996 Car of the Year.

At the presentation ceremony held at the Laxenburg Castle on the outskirts of Vienna on Monday November 10, Herr Sieber, president of Mitsubishi Motors' distributor in Austria DENZEL, was handed the award by Austrian prime minister Herr Klima.

At the Cstle Laxenburg in Vienna, Austria

The Danish auto journalists club MKD selects its car of the year from new models launched in Denmark each year, and also selects an outstanding piece of technology for its special award.

Competing with the new A-class concept from Mercedes Benz, a new safety headrest from Saab, and the new Ka concept design from Ford, the Mitsubishi GDI engine was selected for the Special Award having been highly rated for, "Being a step in the right direction in view of considerations about environmental protection and conservation of resources".