The Mitsubishi Dignity, whose name was derived from "the English to describe the peerless grandeur and majestic stateliness of the model", is a limousine manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors from late 1999 as the flagship of the company's domestic range, alongside the smaller Proudia luxury car. In Japan, it was sold at a specific retail chain called Galant Shop.
The entire Proudia/Dignity range was designed by Mitsubishi Motors and co-manufactured with Hyundai of South Korea, who marketed their own version as the Hyundai Equus. The Dignity was introduced as a competitor to the Nissan President and Toyota Century as the top level flagship, however Mitsubishi chose to use a transverly installed engine with front wheel drive. A Dignity is used by Prince Akishino, brother of the Emperor of Japan.
The ¥9,990,000 Dignity (S43 chassis code) featured Mitsubishi's 8A80 4,498 cc V8, a 90-degree aluminium-block GDi engine producing 280 PS (206 kW) at 5000 rpm and 412 N·m (304 lb·ft) at 4000 rpm, and an extension of the Proudia's exterior dimensions in order to liberate more interior space for the rear occupants; the roofline was raised by 10 mm (0.4 in) and the wheelbase by 250 mm (9.8 in). It used MacPherson struts for the front suspension and a multi-link suspension for the rear wheels. The car was equipped with several advanced features like CCD cameras to monitor adjacent lanes and behind the car, and a laser activated adaptive cruise control.
The Dignity and Proudia's combined volumes fell far shy of Mitsubishi's forecasted 300 sales per month, and they were available for only fifteen months from their introduction on February 20, 2000, before Mitsubishi's financial difficulties forced the company to discontinue both models in an effort to streamline its range and reduce costs. However, the Hyundai Equus proved more commercially successful and would remain in production until replaced in 2008.
Read more about Mitsubishi Dignity: Production and Sales
Famous quotes containing the word dignity:
“There is no dignity in wickedness, whether in purple or rags; and hell is a democracy of devils, where all are equals.”
—Herman Melville (18191891)