Mitsubishi Sigma - World Of Classic Cars -

Mitsubishi Sigma 1991

Before Toyota and Nissan responded to the market opportunity for luxury performance vehicles with the Lexus and Infiniti  brands, the Japanese manufacturers were having to test how far they could stretch their brands into territory dominated by the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and BMW. Honda, in the late 1980's, surprised the market with the well equipped 'Legend' model and Mitsubishi in 1990 revealed the 'Sigma', packed with all of the company's latest technology and in doing so, earning Mitsubishi the mantle, 'Best Car of The Year' in Japan.   The 24-Valve, three litre, V6, multi-point, fuel injection engine generates 202bhp and was the same unit used in the 3000GTO. Only available in automatic and front wheel drive, the proven engine had a very good reputation for reliability and smooth power delivery. Sigmas were packed with advanced features such as variable induction control, two-stage traction control, stability control, four-wheel steering and a spectrum of other pioneering features and luxury comforts. This all contributed to a hefty price tag of £26,009 at launch in the UK in 1991 - over 10%  more expensive than the comparable BMW 525i SE; therefore with limited promotional support in the UK market, the model never made substantial sales. A facelift version with slightly sharper pricing was introduced in the summer of 1992, but this also failed to achieve desired sales. The model has developed a good following in Germany and Japan and the advice and parts network is reported as very good despite this being a relatively low production vehicle.