The Mitsubishi Galant is an automobile manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors since 1969. The name was derived from the French word galant, meaning "chivalrous". There have been nine distinct generations, and cumulative sales now exceed five million. 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.
A fifth-generation model shifted to front-wheel drive for 1983 as a four-door sedan and hardtop (with different styling). This formed the basis of the widened Mitsubishi Magna in Australia for 1985, the same year in which Mitsubishi won Bild am Sonntag's Das Goldene Lenkrad (Golden Steering Wheel) award in Germany for the Galant and Wheels’ Car of the Year for the Magna. This generation was also sold as the Mitsubishi Sigma until 1990 in the United States, and in New Zealand, where it continued on as the V3000 from 1988 to 1992 with a 3.0-litre V6 engine.
