New Mitsubishi Model-Galant Fortis Launched in Japan
TOKYO - August 24, 2007: Mitsubishi Motors Corporation announces the market launch of the Galant Fortis, a new style sedan, at affiliated dealerships throughout Japan today. Powered by a 2.0-liter engine, two and four-wheel drive Galant Fortis models carry a price tag ranging from 1,785,000 yen to 2,436,000 yen; $15,410 to $21,030 USD equivalent. (SUPER EXCEED and SUPER EXCEED NAVI PACKAGE trim levels are due to go on sale in late October.) Galant Fortis is the first new sedan introduced by the company in Japan in seven years.
Galant Fortis has been developed to a product concept that called for "a global sporty sedan that delivers high and well-balanced levels of safety, comfort and environmental performance." Development was aimed to create a new sedan distinguished by: a design that immediately identifies it as a Mitsubishi Motors sedan and gives expression to the feel, the purposefulness and the stable road stance associated with the sedan body style; and by a quality of handling and response and the particular flavor of ride that define the Mitsubishi Motors brand. Principal product features are as follows:
Galant Fortis achieves a global standard in living space with a wider and taller body without any undue stretching of overall length. With its wider track the packaging reconciles the requirements of stable handling and response with its excellent maneuverability that stems from a minimum turning radius of 5.0 m.
- The exterior design creates a body with vibrant looks and a strong
road presence using proportions comprising a large cabin wrapped in sporty,
wide-stance styling and by combining the Mitsubishi Motors sedan's hallmark
inverted-slant nose with a trapezoidal grille. (Galant Fortis is the first
model to employ the "new face" front visage that establishes the design
identity of Mitsubishi Motors sedans to be introduced in future.)
- The powertrain uses a new 2.0-liter DOHC MIVEC aluminum block engine, which
earns a 4-star rating for emission levels 75% below those required by
Japan's 2005 Emissions Standards, mated to Mitsubishi's INVECS-III 6-speed
Sport Mode CVT that delivers responsive power transmission while returning
excellent fuel economy. A high-rigidity platform with excellent impact
safety performance and a revamped suspension underpin and support high
levels of handling and response and safety performance.
- Features enhancing passive and impact safety include a 7-airbag SRS system (driver
and front passenger airbags, driver knee airbag, side and curtain airbags);
adaptive front lighting (AFS) that improves the driver's field of vision at
night; and rain-sensitive auto wipers.
- The Galant Fortis series is
available with a Rockford Fosgate premium sound system giving superior
sound reproduction as well as paddle shifters that allow the driver to
shift gears without taking his hand off the steering wheel. Standard on all
models is Mitsubishi Motors cocochi-interior* that includes a deodorizing
clean air filter and odor-eating head lining.
Galant Fortis walkaround
Trim level lineup
The Galant Fortis series
comes in three major trim levels distinguished by external appearance and
interior trim: EXCEED, SUPER EXCEED and SPORT. The SUPER EXCEED and SPORT
trim levels are also available in NAVI PACKAGE versions which come with HDD
navigation, rearview camera and other advanced features.
- EXCEED: Entry grade with full-functionality and comprehensive convenience and amenity
specifications.
- SUPER EXCEED - Uptown exterior and interior looks
provided by: classy chrome parts (front under grille, headlight and trunk
lid moldings); 16-inch alloy road wheels; leather/Granlux seat
upholstery; wood grain ornamentation panels; exclusive-design floor
console; and high-contrast instrumentation.
- SPORT - Sporty bias with following as
standard: Front and side airdams, 18-inch alloy road wheels and HID lights
and front fog lamps that tweak up its aggressive looks; Sport suspension;
paddle shifters; adaptive front lighting (AFS); cruise control; and
steering wheel remote audio controls.
Design
Exterior
- To a theme of "achieving a neat balance between
comfort and safety levels and a design distinguished by sporty lines," we
have created a roomy interior space supported by a wide stance and wrapped
in sporty exterior styling that accents the fender flares. We have achieved
the high design quality sought in a sedan by giving painstaking attention
to the detailing and to achieving a pleasing contrast between its muscular
surfaces and edgy character line.
- Galant Fortis is the first model to
adopt the new Mitsubishi Motors sedan design identity in its front visage,
distinguishing it immediately as a Mitsubishi sedan. The inverted-slant
nose, traditional to Mitsubishi Motors sedans and incorporating a leisurely
flowing engine hood line with good pedestrian protection, is combined with
a trapezoidal grille to give the front end a dynamic and forcefully
progressive appearance.
- The edgy treatment of the rear end and the high
location of the rear combination lights create a stylish design that also
makes the vehicle more visible to following cars.
- The Galant Fortis
series is available in a selection of eight body colors, including Aqua
Metallic and Black Mica, all designed to express beauty and strength.
(White Pearl costs an extra 31,500 yen, tax inclusive.)
Interior
- Development of an interior followed a theme of "Creating
the ideal marriage between vehicle operating functions and a comfortable
interior space." The bowed dashboard creates a sense of roominess while the
detailing is designed for optimum driver operability, visibility and
viewability. The use of silver accents in the instrumentation, climate
controls and steering wheel enhances the sporty and uptown look to the
interior.
- Galant Fortis uses sculpted front seats with side supports and
cushioning designed for optimum location and support while the rear seat
uses large cushions that engender a sense of being comfortably cocooned.
EXCEED and SPORT employ suede knit seat upholstery keyed to the interior
color. SUPER EXCEED uses a classy combination of bitter-brown real and
artificial leather.
- The Galant Fortis series comes in two interior color
schemes: a sporty black monotone and a classy and relaxing black/beige
two-tone (SPORT is only available in a black monotone). Accent panels are
silver on EXCEED, wood grain and silver pin molding on SUPER EXCEED and a
geometric pattern on SPORT.
Powertrain
- The Galant Fortis series is powered by a new compact and
lightweight 4-cylinder 16-valve DOHC unit, with die-cast aluminum cylinder
block and MIVEC variable valve lift and timing on both exhaust and inlet
valves, which delivers superior emissions and mileage performance. All
models in the series earn a 4-star rating for emission levels that are 75%
below those required under Japan's 2005 Emissions Standards and return
mileage that meets the 2010 fuel economy standards.
- The engine is mated
to Mitsubishi's INVECS-III CVT transmission that optimally matches shift
points to engine speed at all times to deliver responsive and smooth
acceleration while returning excellent fuel economy. CVT transmission SPORT
models come standard with paddle shifters that allow the driver to shift
manually without taking a hand off the wheel. SPORT is also offered with a
5-speed manual transmission (2WD models only).
- 4WD models use the
electronically-controlled 4WD system well-proven on Outlander and Delica:D5
which splits torque feed to the front and rear wheels as required to match
different driving conditions. A dial selector allows the driver to switch
between three drive modes: 2WD, 4WD AUTO and 4WD LOCK.
Chassis
- Galant Fortis uses the MacPherson strut front and multi-link
rear suspension arrangement well-received on the Outlander and Delica:D5.
Standard on SPORT, and a factory-fitted option on SUPER EXCEED, is a sports
suspension tuned to deliver optimum roll stiffness.
- SPORT models ride as
standard on 18-inch 10-spoke lightweight high-rigidity alloy road wheels
shod with 215/45R18 tires (a factory-fitted option on SUPER EXCEED).
- Available as a factory-fitted option on all 2WD Galant Fortis models,
active stability control (ASC) operates to prevent the vehicle from sliding
on slippery surfaces as a result of sudden steering inputs.
- Belying its size classification, the Galant Fortis series boasts outstanding
maneuverability with a class-topping minimum turning radius of 5.0
meters.
Interior trim / Utility
- Galant Fortis provides a roomy and relaxing
interior space thanks to its long 2,635 mm wheelbase and wide 1,530 mm
track.
- The floor console box has a pocket tissue holder on the underside
of the lid. SUPER EXCEED models are fitted with their own large floor
console box that also provides a penholder and small tray.
- The 60:40-split tumble-fold rear seats allow longer items to be carried and use
a folding central armrest with cup holders.
- All models are available as a
factory-fitted option with a keyless operating system that allows the
driver to lock or unlock the doors and to start or stop the engine without
having to take the remote unit out of pocket or handbag.
- Standard on all models is Mitsubishi Motors ETACS (Electric Time and Alarm Control System)
system that controls the operating environment for the comfort flasher,
very handy when changing lanes, the headlight auto-off and other electronic
systems fitted to Galant Fortis.
- The Galant Fortis series offers a very clean and comfortable
interior space through the use of a deodorizing clean air filter and
odor-eating head lining that work together to reduce and suppress body
odor, cigarette smoke and volatile organic compounds (VOC).
- The windshield and front door windows use solar control glass to reduce
penetration of the ultra-violet radiation that causes sunburn.
Audio/Navigation
- Standard on NAVI PACKAGE trim levels is the
Mitsubishi Motors Communication System (MMCS) which comprises a 30Gb hard
disk drive audio/navigation system with 7-inch LCD screen, 2,000-title
music server and ultra-fast route search.
- Available as a factory-fitted
option on NAVI PACKAGE trim levels is the Rockford Fosgate premium sound
system that was well received on the Outlander and Delica:D5. The system
uses a 650-Watt amplifier and nine speakers to deliver awesome
high-fidelity sound reproduction assisted by the use of acoustic and
damping material to seal off openings inside the doors and turn them into
speaker boxes.
Peace-of-mind safety specification
- SPORT comes standard with an
adaptive front lighting system (AFS) in which auxiliary lights turn in the
same direction as the steering wheel to increase the area of road
illuminated and improve driver visibility at night. AFS is available as a
factory-fitted option on other models.
- Rain-sensitive auto wipers that
adjust wipe speed and interval to rain intensity and auto light control
that monitors the intensity of peripheral light and turns the headlights on
or off accordingly are factory-fitted options on all models.
- Standard on NAVI PACKAGE models is a rearview camera fitted to the trunk lid that feeds
a picture of the area behind the vehicle to the navigation system display.
- All models come standard with an engine immobilizer and security alarm to
deter theft.
- All models come standard with front occupant SRS dual-stage
airbags which are deployed at one of two inflation pressures depending on
the speed of the impact to provide the optimum restraining force and with
the driver SRS knee airbag used on the Delica:D5. SRS side and curtain
airbags are available as factory-fitted options on all models.
- The front seats are designed to mitigate injury to the neck while energy-absorbing
trim is used to protect occupants from head injuries.
- The engine hood, front fenders and front bumper all employ impact energy-absorbing
structures to reduce injury to and protect pedestrians.