| Wallpaper Description: |
The Mitsubishi Galant is an automobile manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors since 1969. The name was derived from the French gallan, meaning "valiant".[1] There have been nine distinct generations, and cumulative sales now exceed five million.[2] It began as a compact sedan, but over the course of its life has evolved into a larger mid-size car. Initial production was based only in Japan, but since 1994 the American market has been served by vehicles assembled at the former Diamond-Star Motors (DSM) facility in Normal, Illinois.
The first generation of the car, initially known as the Colt Galant, was released in December 1969. Three models were available, powered by the new 'Saturn' engine in 1.3 (AI model) or 1.5 L (AII and AIII) configurations. The design was dubbed "Dynawedge" by Mitsubishi, referring to the influence of aerodynamics on the silhouette.[2] Initially only available as a four-door, a two-door hardtop variant was added in 1970, offering the unique stylistic feature of being the first Japanese production passenger car with full side windows and no side pillars. It became Mitsubishi's first car to be sold in the United States in 1971 when the Chrysler Corporation, the company's new partner and stakeholder, began importing the car as the Dodge Colt.
From 1970, a fastback coupé model was developed, the Galant GTO. Fashioned after contemporary American muscle cars, the hardtop GTO was available with a choice of three 4G32 'Saturn' engines, and was available until 1975. The nameplate was sufficiently highly regarded in Japan for it to be resurrected for the 1990 Mitsubishi GTO coupé.
A second coupé was introduced in 1971, the Galant FTO GI. Powered by the 4G41 1.4 L engine, it too would leave a legacy for the company to return to in the 1990s with the Mitsubishi FTO.
The second generation Galant was more widely exported as Mitsubishi's ambitions grew. It was again sold by Chrysler in many different guises; as the Dodge Colt in the United States, as the Plymouth Colt and Plymouth Cricket in Canada (from 1974),[3] as the Chrysler Valiant Galant in Australia, and in Europe as the Colt Galant.
This model was more curvaceous, influenced by contemporary "coke-bottle" styling, and featured a range of larger 'Astron' engines developing up to 125 PS to complement the 'Saturn' units. During the second generation, the first Astron 80 engines were introduced using Mitsubishi's newly developed "Silent Shaft" balance shaft technology for reduced vibration and noise.
The third-generation of the car was introduced in 1976, and was known as Galant Σ (Sigma). For the first time, a wagon variant was available to complement the sedan. In many export markets the car was simply known as the Galant, while the Dodge Colt name continued in America. In Australia, where the car was built locally at Chrysler's Clovelly Park plant, it was known as the Chrysler Sigma.
Mitsubishi introduced the MCA-Jet engine with its latest Galant. This incorporated the "Jet Valve", a secondary intake valve which improved emissions without necessitating the need for a completely redesigned cylinder head.
A new coupé was introduced to replace the Galant GTO known in Japan as the Galant Λ (Lambda).
The third generation Galant was the recipient of the Car of the Year award in South Africa in 1977.
Mitsubishi's fourth iteration of the Galant / Sigma debuted many new innovations for Mitsubishi. Their new 'Sirius' engine was offered in turbocharged form for performance enthusiasts, while for economy, an 'Astron' 4D55, the first diesel engine in a Japanese passenger car, was also available.
For the second generation in a row Mitsubishi could claim to be building an award-winning car, as this was chosen as Car of the Year in New Zealand in 1981.
From 1982 to 1983, some of the Australian Sigmas were exported to the United Kingdom with the Lonsdale badge, circumventing the voluntary import quota restrictions adopted by Japanese manufacturers. However the car was unsuccessful, and for 1983 and 1984 it carried Mitsubishi Sigma badges in the UK before imports were discontinued.
The wagon version was facelifted, although from firewall back the vehicle remained the same. Production continued in Australia until 1987 when it was replaced by the new Magna.
The United States has had the sedan-only ninth-generation PS platform model since October 15, 2003. It was announced at the 2003 New York International Auto Show in April for the 2004 model year, following the exhibition of the SSS concept sedan at the North American International Auto Show three years before.[7] The ninth-generation United States-sourced model is available for sale only in a few regional markets, namely North America, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates. Russia began sourcing its Galants from the United States from 2006. The UAE began sourcing its Galants from the United States from the 2007 model year. The facelifted Galant for 2007 is now simply a rebadged Mitsubishi 380 from Australia.
Mitsubishi also assembles and markets a modified version of the ninth-generation Galant in Taiwan. Taiwan was one of the first regions outside the Americas to market the vehicle, when the Galant Grunder (now known simply as Grunder) was launched in December 2004 with a unique front end. In addition, this model is also sold in the Philippines as the Galant 240M using the 2.4 liter MIVEC engine.[8]
A localised version called the 380 is manufactured in Australia for the Australia-New Zealand Market. It replaced the Magna line in 2005. |
