Mitsubishi Diamante

The Mitsubishi Diamante is a car manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors between 1990 and 2005. It was first introduced to the public at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1989, and went on sale in Japan in May 1990. The name was derived from the Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian words for diamond. It became the second generation Magna, replacing the widened 1983 Galant Sigma-based Magna. The luxury version of the Magna, Mitsubishi Verada was the Australian equivalent of the Diamante. In Japan, it was sold at a specific retail chain called Car Plaza.

There have been rumors that the Diamante was either not intended for a Japanese launch, or it might have been planned as a low-volume model. The reason for this argument is that until 1989, the width of vehicles was a vital indication of taxation class. The Diamante, being wider than the 1,700 mm (66.9 in) break (station wagon), would have suffered a large tax penalty against most of its rivals, which were designed to be just under limit. At the time, Mitsubishi's image was also considered less than ideal for the marketing of a luxury car—its most expensive offering that the time, the Debonair, was largely seen as a company car project for Mitsubishi conglomerate executives. The Diamante's introduction was the result of the Honda Legend, which caught manufacturers by surprise when it appeared in 1986, inspiring the creation of the Lexus and Infiniti divisions, as well as various executive car class vehicles to be revised as a result. Mitsubishi needed to compete with the Legend and the Diamante was the result.

However, the tax situation had changed in 1989, and the Diamante became the surprise hit of 1990. Amidst Japan's bubble economy, many private car owners sought an executive car in a market that had very few new offerings that year.