New York, Sept. 17, 2015 — After a development process spanning more than 20 years, Toyota’s long-awaited hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, the Mirai, will be featured at the Excellence in Journalism (EIJ15) Conference at the Orlando World Center Marriott, Sept. 18-20, in Orlando, Fla. Top news professionals from broadcast, print and digital will have the opportunity to experience the Mirai first hand. The conference is being convened jointly by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ).
 
The Mirai will be the conference’s only automotive interactive display hosted at the Orlando Marriott World Center’s impressive central Atrium. Conference attendees and resort guests will have the opportunity to receive a personalized walk-through from a Mirai product specialist and learn about the unique powertrain and other components that make this vehicle a truly innovative automotive breakthrough. The Mirai can be fueled with hydrogen in around 5 minutes and boasts an EPA estimated range of 312 miles per fill.  It has an estimated fuel economy of 67 miles per gallon equivalency and the only emission is water vapor. The Toyota Mirai is also capable of powering a small home for up to a week during an emergency.
 
Toyota also will sponsor the Hall of Fame Luncheon, where NAHJ will honor Telemundo journalist and MSNBC host José Díaz-Balart with the NAHJ Presidential Award of Visibility for his commitment to journalism, the pursuit of the truth and his accurate and fair representation of Latinos in news coverage.
 
 “As a long-time supporter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, it gives us great pleasure to share with this wonderful group the latest in automotive innovation as we help facilitate discourse on how Latinos are adding their much-needed voices to the journalism landscape in this country,” stated Patricia Salas Pineda, group vice president of Toyota’s Hispanic Business Strategy Group.  “As the top-selling automotive brand in the Hispanic market for more than 10 years, we have a close relationship with the Hispanic community and NAHJ, and are pleased to be part of the conversation regarding diversity of ideas, voices and points of view in news reporting.”
 
Mekahlo Medina, NAHJ national president, commented, “We are pleased to have Toyota as a long-time partner to carry forward our mission of advancing and recognizing the achievements of Hispanics in the news industry.”
 
EIJ15 will be a forum for novice and veteran communicators and storytellers to explore and shape today’s complex media environment, to learn about new products and services, and to connect with opportunities to advance their careers.   For more information on EIJ15, visit http://excellenceinjournalism.org/.  Follow the conversation with #VayamosJuntos, @ToyotaLatino and #EIJ15.