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 Centennial/Hyundai Equus. The Proudia was introduced as a competitor to the Nissan Cima and Toyota Celsior as a full size luxury car, however Mitsubishi chose to use a transversely installed engine with front wheel drive. Production was discontinued after only 1227 vehicles were produced during three years. The Proudia was priced from ¥4.6 million to ¥6.4 million, and came in three specifications labelled A, B or C. A and B featured a 6G74 3497 cc GDiV6 producing at 5500 rpm and of torque at 2500 rpm, while specification C featured the 8A80 4498 cc GDi V8 producing at 5000 rpm and at 4000 rpm. The car was equipped with several advanced features like CCD cameras to monitor adjacent lanes and behind the car, and a lidar activated adaptive cruise control. It used MacPherson struts for the front suspension and a multi-link suspension for the rear wheels. The Dignity and Proudia's combined volumes fell far shy of Mitsubishi's estimated 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. Sales of the Proudia in Japan were affected by the fact that it didn't comply with Japanese Governmentdimension and engine displacement regulations for "compact" sized cars and Japanese buyers were liable for additional taxes, and the economic fallout due to the collapse of the "bubble economy". The Proudia's engine displacement also made Japanese buyers liable for higher annual road tax. The Hyundai Equus proved more commercially successful and would remain in production until replaced in 2008.
Production and sales
Series BY51 (2012–2016)
Announced in early 2012, Mitsubishi Motors is cooperating with Nissan to sell their own version of the Nissan Fuga Y51 under the Proudia name after an 11-year hiatus, and sales of the Nissan Fuga-based Proudia started July 26, 2012, replacing the discontinued Mitsubishi Galant. A stretched wheelbase version is also sold as the Dignity.
Compared to its predecessor, the height is slightly higher; however the length and width have been reduced, resulting in reduced weight. In addition, all models are now in compliance with Japanese Government 2005 emission standards, resulting in a 75% reduction level over the previous model. The Mitsubishi trim packages are aligned with their Nissan Fuga counterparts. The Proudia “250 A” is the equivalent Fuga “ 250 GT”, the “Proudia 250 VIP” to the "Fuga 250 VIP”, and the “Proudia 370 VIP” to the “Fuga 370 VIP”. The “Proudia 370 4WD” is the equivalent to the “Fuga 370 GT Four”, the first time the Proudia is offered with All-wheel-drive. The hybrid engine option offered on the Fuga is not offered on the Proudia, and is only available on the longer Dignity limousine. The term "VIP" reflects a high status car in Japan. The Proudia is cosmetically different from the Fuga, using a Mitsubishi specific grille and appearance items. Many of the items in the Fuga are also available in the Proudia, to include the pollen filter, Nissan’s “Safety Shield” packages, such as intelligent cruise control, ECO pedal, intelligent brake assist, with optional items on Nissan-branded products also available on equivalent Proudia trim packages. Nissan’s Garnet Black Pearl paint is not offered on the Proudia, with Mitsubishi offering a different color. Some of the optional interior equipment includes heated and ventilated front seats, power reclining rear seats, power ottoman for the rear passenger opposite the driver, and HDD navigation combined with a telematicssubscription service called "CarWings" in Japan.
