Mazda loans Tribute Hybrid Prototypes to Fire Departments in Southern California

In a nice PR move, Mazda loaned out five Mazda Tribute Hybrid vehicles to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). Mazda previously loaned out ten hybrid Tributes to Orange County for a period of two years. Fifteen more hybrid SUVs will be loaned out to fire departments across southern California. These depts are located in Corona, San Bernardino, San Diego and Riverside.

The firefighters will use the SUVs in mostly non-emergency situations such as fire inspection, station maintenance or education visits. Mazda plans on using the performance data to enhance their production of the Tribute hybrid, a compact SUV. They will also be collecting input from the firefighters who drive the prototype vehicles.

Mazda Tribute HEV is 99.4 percent cleaner, on average, than an unregulated vehicle, yet still delivers the performance required by SUV owners. With a combined horsepower output of 155, this Tribute HEV provides plenty of power yet meets strict Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEVII) and Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) standards in California - the strictest emission regulations a gasoline-fueled vehicle can meet.