Mitsubishi Galant Fortis Launched In Japan

Anthony Fontanelle
August 28, 2007

Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corporation recently announced that they will be launching a new car model for the Japanese auto market. The said car is the Galant Fortis, a new sleek sedan. According to the manufacturer of the Galant Fortis, it is designed as "a global sporty sedan that delivers high and well-balanced levels of safety, comfort and environmental performance".

The development of the new Galant Fortis is fueled by the drive to create a sedan that will embody the values of the carmaker. This is a car that will be ushering in a new era for the automaker in terms of its design concept as the Galant Fortis is engineered to be a car that will be easily recognized as a Mitsubishi. Aside from that, the developers of this car also aimed to create a car that will have the best in handling capabilities in its class. The arrival of the Galant Fortis in Mitsubishi's dealerships in Japan ended a seven-year drought when Mitsubishi has not introduced a car for the country.

The Galant Fortis has an advantage over some of its competitors in terms of interior space. The body of the Galant Fortis is broader and taller than some of its direct competitors. This was done by the automaker without having to stretch the car making it quite long. This solution makes the car more agile thus making it a strong candidate to attract the attention of performance enthusiasts. As a Japanese brand going into the Japanese auto market, the Galant Fortis is expected to attract the attention of Japanese auto buyers especially because it is known to have parts as reliable as Mazda axles.

The new Galant Fortis is powered by a 2.0-liter direct overhead cam MIVEC aluminum block engine. The engine is designed not only for power but also for fuel economy and environment-friendliness as well. The engine of the new Galant Fortis earned a 4-star rating for emission levels. The emission of the engine is 75 percent below than the amount required by Japanese emission standards. This engine transmits its power to the wheels Mitsubishi's INVECS-III six-speed Sport Mode Continuously Variable Transmission. The pairing of the transmission and the engine results in an efficient flow of power from the engine to the wheels.

Safety of the Galant Fortis has also been fortified compared to previous Mitsubishi cars. The car has seven airbags in all. These are for the driver and passenger airbags, driver knee airbag, side and curtain airbags. Aside from the complete menu of SRS airbag systems, the Galant Fortis is also equipped with adaptive front lighting or AFS. This feature improves visibility during nighttime driving. The Galant Fortis also has rain sensing wipers eliminating the need to manually turn on the wiper when it rains which can result to momentary loss of attention which can lead to accidents.

The Galant Fortis is expected to hit Mitsubishi dealerships in Japan by late October this year. Although the Japanese market is showing signs of decline, Mitsubishi is hoping that the new Galant Fortis will attract consumers to their showrooms. The Galant Fortis will be available as a four-wheel or with a two wheel drive configuration.

Source:  Amazines.com