Mitsubishi Motors Starts 'Pajero Forest & Local Mountain Restoration Initiative'

Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 04, 2006 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Motors Corporation announced that it is taking the launch of new Pajero as an opportunity to start an initiative, the "Pajero Forest & Local Mountain Restoration Initiative", which aims at conserving and cultivating Japan's forests and woodlands, the condition of which is deteriorating on a wide scale. The Initiative will be based in the town of Hayakawa-cho, which lies in the foothills of the Southern Japanese Alps in Yamanashi Prefecture.

Mitsubishi Motors, Hayakawa-cho and the Suzurishima District have reached agreement on promoting the Initiative with the cooperation of the OISCA Japan Foundation* and Yamanashi Prefecture. The Prefecture is currently calling for companies' participation in 'Corporate Forestry Promotion Venture'. The parties will name the three-hectare area of mountain forest 'The Pajero Forest'. The project will extend for a period of at last seven years, during which time the parties will plant trees, clear undergrowth, thin out trees and otherwise maintain and care for the forest. Mitsubishi Motors will provide human support in the form of volunteer employee groups and will also invite owners of Mitsubishi cars to participate in the activity as it plans and holds events that make "The Pajero Forest" a center for education and learning about environmental protection.

Mitsubishi Motors has been active in proposing "Lifestyles that bring us closer to and help us coexist with nature" to the owners of Pajeros and other Mitsubishi SUV models through its GRAN OFF ('Big day off') campaign as introduced on the company website. The 'Pajero Forest & Local Mountain Restoration Initiative' is a practical example of the lifestyles.

Mitsubishi Motors will continue to contribute toward the realization of an eco-friendly society as it continues to make environmental preservation and conservation a major theme in the running of the company.

* Established in 1961, the OISCA Japan Foundation, which has a long history in environmental conservation activities, works mainly in the Asia-Pacific region in contributing to Humanity's environmentally sustainable development through a holistic approach emphasizing the interconnectedness of agriculture, ecological integrity, and the human spirit. OISCA is an acronym for 'Organization for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement'.

About Mitsubishi Motors Corporation

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation was established in 1970 and is one of the few automobile companies in the world that produces a full line of automotive products ranging from 660-cc mini cars and passenger cars to commercial vehicles and heavy-duty trucks and buses. The company also operates consumer financing services and provides this to its customer base. For more information, please visit www.mitsubishi-motors.com.

For further information, please visit the Mitsubishi Motors Corporation home page at: www.mitsubishi-motors.co.jp