Mitsubishi Motors auctions Lancer automobile, #1 of 1,600 Final Edition, to benefit National Multiple Sclerosis Society
San Diego CA— The National Multiple Sclerosis Society in San Diego has announced that Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) has agreed to serve as title sponsor of the 29th annual MS Dinner Auction to be held on Saturday evening, Nov. 21, 2015, at Loews Coronado Bay Resort, 4000 Coronado Bay Road, in Coronado. The annual MS Dinner Auction, a black-tie event regularly attended by more than 600 people who bid on more than 700 silent and live auction packages, is considered one of San Diego’s largest annual charity auctions. The event typically raises $450,000 for multiple sclerosis research and programs for people with MS, a chronic, unpredictable and disabling disease of the central nervous system with no known cause, cure or prevention. The 2015 French-inspired event theme is “La Fete de la Cure.”
In support of its title sponsorship, MMNA is conducting a national auction on eBay of its first Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Final Edition, number #1 of 1,600 produced, with all proceeds to benefit the National MS Society. The winning bidder will be responsible to pay for applicable sales taxes, licensing and vehicle delivery. Bids can be placed at www.ebay.com/itm/181927862228. The auction went live Nov. 11. Bidding for the #0001 car will conclude on Nov. 21 at the MS Dinner Auction at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort Hotel. Dinner attendees will be allowed to participate in the auction.
“We are thrilled and grateful Mitsubishi Motors has partnered with us as the title sponsor for this year’s annual MS Dinner Auction,” said Richard Israel, president, National MS Society’s San Diego-based Pacific South Coast Chapter. “With the support of Mitsubishi Motors we are able to fund cutting-edge research, drive change through advocacy, facilitate professional education, collaborate with MS organizations around the world, and provide programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move their lives forward.”
The pinnacle of Mitsubishi’s state-of-the-art technology and engineering, the Lancer Evolution, is in its 10th and final year and only 1,600 Final Edition models will be produced for the U.S., each carrying a unique numbered plaque. The Lancer Evolution is revered by “gear heads” around the world and is arguably the originator of the four-door sports car genre. The Final Edition model features a five-speed transmission paired with a turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve, four-cylinder 2.0L engine, making the Final Edition the most powerful mass-produced Evolution ever built with 303 horsepower. The Final Edition is based off the current GSR model and features lightweight two-piece Brembo brake rotors up front, accompanied by Bilstein shock absorbers and Eibach springs at all four corners and Mitsubishi’s innovative and unmatched Super All-Wheel Control system.
The annual MS Dinner Auction is traditionally held on the Saturday before the week of Thanksgiving as a jump-start to holiday shopping. Tickets begin at $175 per person, and packages with overnight stays are available. For more information, including a list of auction items, or to purchase your tickets, visit www.MSdinnerAuction.com, or contact Heather Dean Pressnall at heather.dean@nmss.org, or (760) 760-448-8417.
Silent and live auction packages, ranging from $100 to $25,000, will include professional services, home furnishings, consumer electronics merchandise, home-related products and services, a variety of domestic and international vacations, sports memorabilia and gift certificates for dining, entertainment, airfare and hotel accommodations. Other auction packages include fine art and jewelry, wine and spa packages and one-of-a-kind experiences.
In 2014, about 680 guests attended the 28th annual MS Dinner Auction and helped raise about $525,000 for multiple sclerosis research and programs and services for people with MS, the most common neurological disease affecting young‑ to middle‑aged adults. Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50. More than twice as many women as men have MS. There is no known cause, cure or prevention. Symptoms cannot be predicted and can vary greatly, ranging from numbness in the limbs and extreme fatigue to loss of balance and muscle coordination or paralysis.
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for all research and development, marketing, and sales for Mitsubishi Motors in the United States. MMNA sells sedans and crossovers/SUVs through a network of approximately 380 dealers. MMNA is leading the way in the development of highly-efficient, affordably-priced new gasoline-powered automobiles while using its industry-leading knowledge in battery electric vehicles to develop future EV and PHEV models.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s San Diego-based Pacific South Coast Chapter serves more than 51,500 people affected by MS living in San Diego, Orange and Imperial counties, as well as the Hawaiian islands. Affecting more than 2.1 million people worldwide, MS is an unpredictable neurological disease that interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and the rest of the body. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis, as well as blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue and cognitive deficits. These symptoms might be permanent, or they might come and go. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 children under the age of 18 also live with MS. Two to three times more women than men are diagnosed with the disease. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS.