HIROSHIMA, Japan--Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) donated 10 clean-burning, fuel efficient Tribute Hybrid Electric Vehicles to the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) at a ceremony held on February 22, 2006, at the OCFA headquarters in Irvine, California.

The vehicles are gasoline-electric hybrid versions of the Mazda Tribute compact SUV and are the first of 30 total Tribute Hybrid SUVs that Mazda will loan to fire agencies across Southern California. The Tribute HEVs are painted in the red and white color used by regional fire authority vehicles and will be in service for two years. They will mainly be used for educational programs and fire safety and prevention programs at local schools.

“It’s a great honor to give something back to the community with these Tribute Hybrids,” said Jim O’Sullivan, MNAO’s president and CEO. “The on-road data that we’ll receive over the course of the two year loan of these vehicles will be invaluable to Mazda as we continue the production development of future hybrid vehicles.”

The Mazda Tribute HEV has a fuel consumption rate 74 percent better than the base model Tribute and also meets the strict Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV) and Advanced Technology Partial Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) standards in California - the strictest emission regulations a gasoline-fueled vehicle can meet in the United States. The combination of the Tribute HEV’s MZR2.3 engine and hybrid system together realize smooth, powerful acceleration comparable to a V6 3.0L engine. With a Tribute HEV, drivers can have superior environmental performance and Zoom-Zoom driving at the same time.

Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) is responsible for the sales and marketing, customer parts and service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States. Headquartered in Irvine, California, MNAO has more than 700 dealerships nationwide.