After many years of absence from the luxury car segment, Mitsubishi is going to give it another try with the revival of the Proudia and Dignity nameplates for the Japanese market.
In a strange turn of fate, whereas the original Proudia and Dignity from the late 1990s – early 2000s were designed by Mitsubishi and co-manufactured with Hyundai, which marketed its own versions as the rebadged Centennial and Equus (not to be confused with the current Equus), Mitsubishi is now the one to rebrand the two models.
To explain, the Proudia and the more luxurious, long wheelbase Dignity are the products of an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) deal with the Nissan Group and are based on the Infiniti M and the China-market Infiniti M35hL LWB (sold as the new Nissan Cima in Japan) respectively.
Mitsubishi tells us that the Proudia moniker is coined from the English words “Proud” and “Diamond” (referring to the company’s logo), while the Dignity took its name from “the English word that describes the peerless grandeur and majestic stateliness of the model”.
Mitsubishi’s contributions to the Proudia and Dignity are limited to the waterfall front grille, the re-sculptured front bumper and the addition of badges.
The Proudia is offered with a choice of two engines, a 3.7-liter V6 delivering 328hp (333PS) in RWD or AWD versions and a 2.5-liter V6 with 222hp (225PS) exclusively with RWD.
The longer wheelbase (+ 5.9-inches or 150mm) and more luxuriously equipped Dignity features the same gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain found on the Infiniti M35h, which links a 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine to an electric motor for a total system output of 359hp (364PS).
Both models are available for order in Japan with prices ranging from 4,022,000 Yen (US$50,400 or €40,700) for the Proudia 250 to 8,400,000 Yen (US$105,200 or €85,000) for the single-trim level Dignity VIP.
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