Mitsubishi, like the late Rodney Dangerfield, doesn't always get much respect -- at least not in the U.S. Its models haven't really captured the imagination of the American public, its performance in customer satisfaction and other surveys is so-so, and its sales numbers pale in comparison to most of its colleagues. (Suzuki excepted.)

But Mitsubishi isn't about to pull an Isuzu -- not yet, anyway. The spunky Japanese brand recently took a trip to the Great White North to prove its mettle by setting five Guiness World Records in the space of 24 hours.

To accomplish the task, Mitsubishi staff drove a 2011 Outlander and a 2011 Outlander Sport to the very chilly Ghost Lake in Alberta, Canada, where company crews prepared a number of trial courses on the frozen surface. In doing so, the company hoped to set the following records:

1. Greatest distance driven by a vehicle in reverse on snow in 30 seconds;

2. Shortest braking distance by a vehicle on ice;

3. Most vehicle figure eights on ice in two minutes;

4. Fastest vehicle slalom relay on ice; and

5. Fastest driven square lap.

And as you might expect, Mitsubishi aced all five. (The company probably wouldn't have put out a press release if it had failed.) That's good news for Mitsubishi fans and potential shoppers alike.

That said, we're not fully onboard with the copy Mitsubishi used in its YouTube video documenting the event:

"Car companies love to show off the various rewards they've received from important-sounding organizations -- none of which anyone in the real world has ever heard of. So Mitsubishi decided to go after some awards with actual meaning...."

Translation: trophies like the North American Car of the Year Award are much less prestigious and meaningful than achievements noted in the Guiness Book, alongside milestones like "Largest Condom Mosaic" and "Most Earthworms Consumed In 30 Seconds". Hmm.

Also making us go "hmm": several commenters on YouTube have implied that these five world records didn't already exist; Mitsubishi created them from scratch, meaning that "breaking" them wasn't much of a challenge. We haven't received confirmation on that yet, but we'll let you know when/if Mitsubishi responds.

Anyway, you'll find the aforementioned video below. For more info, check Mitsubishi's YouTube page, or read the press release pasted under the clip.

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Mitsubishi Celebrates Historic Feat - Outlander Family of All-Wheel Control Vehicles Break Five Guinness World Records® within 24-Hour Period

Wed, Feb 09, 2011 - CYPRESS, California - Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA), today announced its Outlander (SUV) and Outlander Sport (CUV) have become the most awarded family of all-wheel drive vehicles by breaking five Guinness World Records® within a 24-hour period by any vehicle in its class. This historic feat becomes the latest marketing campaign for Mitsubishi, demonstrating the company's spirit of innovation and highlighting their sophisticated All-Wheel Control System.

Together with its agency of record, 180 Los Angeles (180LA), MMNA put the vehicles' handling to the test on frozen Ghost Lake near Calgary, Alberta, Canada with record low temperatures of -13° Fahrenheit. The goal was to showcase the sophisticated technology and capabilities of these vehicles. Driven by stuntman Garvin Cross who has appeared in dozens of movies and as a stunt double for Daniel Craig, the two vehicles broke the following records in 24 hours:

1. Greatest distance driven by a vehicle in reverse on snow in 30 seconds;

2. Shortest braking distance by a vehicle on ice;

3. Most vehicle figure eights on ice in two minutes;

4. Fastest vehicle slalom relay on ice; and

5. Fastest driven square lap.

"The spot clearly captures the incredible capabilities of our unparalleled all-wheel control system on our advanced Outlander family of vehicles, now even more relevant given the recent unpredictability in the weather," said VP of Marketing, Greg Adams.

The marketing campaign launches February 9 and includes television, digital, social media and PR. Two television spots highlight the new world records and purposefully illustrate the vehicles' performance in extreme conditions to give consumers confidence in the vehicles' engineering and capabilities in every day driving. The spots will air on 12 network and cable TV stations, including ESPN, Discovery Channel, and FX. Digital marketing includes homepage takeovers, online banners as well as a strong social media push. All campaign elements lead consumers to www.MitsubishiCars.com/WorldRecords to find out more. This campaign follows MMNA's recent campaign, the Live Drive, the World's First Online Test Drive, where the Outlander Sport was awarded its first Guinness World Record for the longest distance driven by a vehicle operated online.

"Breaking world records seemed like a worthy challenge, as well as a fresh idea for a marketing campaign," notes 180LA creative director Gavin Milner. "It's an awesome way to show the technical prowess of the feature-rich lineup of Outlander vehicles."

To see the Mitsubishi Outlander Family World Record video, please log on to YouTube at: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHguhTzez4Y

The Outlander and Outlander Sport both have Mitsubishi's All-Wheel Control system, which makes driving in adverse road conditions more stable, more predictable and safer overall. The innovative All-Wheel Control system measures such parameters as throttle input, engine speed and wheel speed to manage the most challenging conditions as experienced at Ghost Lake.