The is a full-size

luxury car A luxury car is a car that provides increased levels of comfort, equipment, amenities, quality, performance, and associated status compared to moderately priced cars. The term is subjective and reflects both the qualities of the car and the ...

originally manufactured by

Mitsubishi Motors is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the ...

of the company's domestic range, alongside the shorter Proudia, and was reintroduced 2012 to Japanese buyers as a

rebadge In the automotive industry, rebadging is a form of market segmentation used by automobile manufacturers around the world. To allow for product differentiation without designing or engineering a new model or brand (at high cost or risk), a man ...

d fifth-generation Nissan Cima. The Dignity was discontinued for the second time in 2016. In Japan, it was sold at a specific retail chain called '' Galant Shop''. The name "Dignity" was used to describe the "peerless grandeur and majestic stateliness" of the model. __TOC__

First generation (S43A; 1999)

The Dignity/Proudia range was designed by Mitsubishi Motors and co-manufactured with

Hyundai Hyundai is a South Korean industrial conglomerate (" chaebol"), which was restructured into the following groups: * Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested ** Hyundai Mobis, Korean car parts company ** Hyundai A ...

of South Korea, who marketed their own version as the

Hyundai Equus The Hyundai Equus () is a full-size, front-engine, rear-drive, four-door, five passenger luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by Hyundai from 1999 to 2016. The name ''" equus"'' is the Latin word for "horse". In 2009, Hyundai released the sec ...

(from 1999 to 2009)."Mitsubishi's new flagships"
, Jack Yamaguchi, Automotive Engineering International Online, March 2000 The Dignity was introduced as a competitor to the

Nissan President The is a Japanese luxury sedan that manufactured and marketed by Nissan from 1965 to 2010 as a JDM luxury sedan, the flagship of Nissan's range, marketed at its '' Nissan Motor Store'' dealerships. Initially marketed in the JDM, in the late ...

, the

Toyota Celsior The is a full-size luxury sedan ( F-segment in Europe) serving as the flagship model of Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota. For the first four generations, all LS models featured V8 engines and were predominantly rear-wheel-drive. In the f ...

, and the

Toyota Century The is a limousine produced mainly for the Japanese market, serving as Toyota's flagship car within Japan; globally the unrelated Lexus LS series is Toyota's flagship luxury model. Production of the Century began in 1967, and the model received ...

as the top level flagship, however Mitsubishi chose to use a transversely installed engine with

front-wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitu ...

. A Dignity is used by

Fumihito, Prince Akishino is the younger brother and heir presumptive of Emperor Naruhito of Japan and the younger son of Emperor emeritus Akihito and Empress emerita Michiko. Since his marriage in June 1990, he has had the title and has headed his own branch of the im ...

, the second son of Emperor Emeritus

Akihito is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 7 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. He presided over the Heisei era, ''Heisei'' being an expression of achieving peace worldwide. B ...

. The first-generation Dignity was powered by Mitsubishi's '' 8A80'' 4,498 cc, 90-degree, aluminum-block

GDi GDI may refer to: Science and technology * Gasoline direct injection, a type of fuel injection * Graphics Device Interface, a component of Microsoft Windows * Guanosine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor, a protein Organisations * Gabriel Dumont I ...

V8 engine producing at 5,000 rpm and of torque at 4,000 rpm, and featured an extension of the Proudia's exterior dimensions in order to liberate more interior space for the rear occupants; the roofline was raised by and the wheelbase was extended by . It used MacPherson struts for the front suspension and a

multi-link suspension A multi-link suspension is a type of vehicle suspension with one or more longitudinal arms. A wider definition can consider any independent suspensions having three control links or more multi-link suspensions. These arms do not have to be of e ...

for the rear wheels. The car was equipped with several features like Driver Support System (

CCD camera A charge-coupled device (CCD) is an integrated circuit containing an array of linked, or coupled, capacitors. Under the control of an external circuit, each capacitor can transfer its electric charge to a neighboring capacitor. CCD sensors are a ...

s to monitor adjacent lanes and behind the car for

lane departure warning system In road-transport terminology, a lane departure warning system (LDWS) is a mechanism designed to warn the driver when the vehicle begins to move out of its lane (unless a turn signal is on in that direction) on freeways and arterial roads. These ...

and

blind spot monitor The blind spot monitor or blind-spot monitoring is a vehicle-based sensor device that detects other vehicles located to the driver’s side and rear. Warnings can be visual, audible, vibrating, or tactile. Blind spot monitors may do more than ...

, and a

lidar Lidar (, also LIDAR, or LiDAR; sometimes LADAR) is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be ...

activated

adaptive cruise control Adaptive cruise control (ACC) is an available cruise control advanced driver-assistance system for road vehicles that automatically adjusts the vehicle speed to maintain a safe distance from vehicles ahead. As of 2019, it is also called by 20 u ...

), self-levelling multi-link

air suspension Air suspension is a type of vehicle suspension powered by an electric or engine-driven air pump or compressor. This compressor pumps the air into a flexible bellows, usually made from textile-reinforced rubber. Unlike hydropneumatic suspension, ...

with electronic damping 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 Equus proved more commercially successful and would remain in production until replaced in 2008."Future Vehicles Preview: 2008 Hyundai Equus Large Sedan"
, Inside Line, edmunds.com

Production and sales

Second generation (BHGY51; 2012)

The Dignity nameplate was revived as a rebadged

rear-wheel drive Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars. Most rear-wheel ...

, fifth-generation Nissan Cima to Japanese customers only starting April 26, 2012. As with the preceding generation, the Dignitys were used as official cars by the

Akishino is the younger brother and heir presumptive of Emperor Naruhito of Japan and the younger son of Emperor emeritus Akihito and Empress emerita Michiko. Since his marriage in June 1990, he has had the title and has headed his own branch of the im ...

branch of Japan's Imperial family. The second-generation Dignity is slightly taller, but narrower and shorter, and is lighter by over the previous model. It was the first

hybrid electric A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a type of hybrid vehicle that combines a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) system with an electric propulsion system (hybrid vehicle drivetrain). The presence of the electric powertrain is intended ...

Mitsubishi Motors model to be sold in Japan, and it complied with the 2005 emission standards, achieving a 75% reduction level over the previous model, and achieving the 2003 Japanese government fuel economy standards. While the Dignity was only offered with one engine option, which is the Nissan's 3,498 cc '' VQ35HR'' V6 engine, the "Pure Drive/Hybrid" badge is not installed, and it was differed cosmetically from the Cima on which it is based. Many items offered on the Dignity were carried over from the Cima, including the lattice rear retractable window screen. The Dignity was offered in only one trim package, called the "VIP", which is equivalent to the Cima's VIP G trim. However, the Dignity was not available with

all-wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one ...

system, unlike the Cima. Nissan's GPS navigation system called

CarWings CarWings, renamed NissanConnect in 2015, and also branded as Infiniti InTouch is a vehicle telematics service offered by the Nissan Motor Company to drivers in Japan, the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and most other countries where the L ...

was also included. The Dignity/Proudia nameplates were discontinued for the second time in November 2016.

References

''(Sources
Fact & Figures 2000Fact & Figures 2005
Mitsubishi Motors website)''

External links

Dignity data
{{Mitsubishi Motors timeline 2010 to date

Dignity Dignity is the right of a person to be valued and respected for their own sake, and to be treated ethically. It is of significance in morality, ethics, law and politics as an extension of the Enlightenment-era concepts of inherent, inaliena ...

Cars introduced in 1999 2000s cars 2010s cars Full-size vehicles Luxury vehicles Limousines Sedans Front-wheel-drive vehicles Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Hybrid electric cars Partial zero-emissions vehicles Flagship vehicles Cars of Japan

First generation (S43A; 1999)

Production and sales

Second generation (BHGY51; 2012)

See also

References

External links