Renault Encore
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer |
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| Production | June 1982 – June 1987 |
| Model years | 1983 – 1987 |
| Assembly | Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA |
| Designer | |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Subcompact |
| Body style |
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| Layout | Front-engine, front-wheel drive |
| Related | Renault 9 & 11 |
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| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 97.8 in (2,484 mm) |
| Length |
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| Width | 65 in (1,651 mm) |
| Height | 53.1 in (1,349 mm) |
| Curb weight |
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| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | |
| Successor | |
The Renault Alliance is a front-wheel drive, front-engine subcompact automobile manufactured and marketed in North America by American Motors Corporation (AMC) for model years 1983–1987 — The Alliance and its subsequent hatchback variant, the Encore, were re-engineered Renault 9 & 11 for the U.S. and Canadian markets.
Initially available in two- and four-door sedan configurations, three and five-door hatchback variants (marketed as the Renault Encore) became available in 1984, and a convertible in 1985. AMC also marketed a sports version called Renault GTA for 1987. A total of 623,573 vehicles were manufactured in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Production was discontinued after Chrysler's acquisition of AMC in 1987.
The Alliance and Encore derived from AMC's 1979 partnership with Renault, which held controlling stake in AMC. The cars featured exterior styling by Robert Opron, director of Renault Styling, and interior design by AMC's Richard Teague — with both the Alliance two-door sedan and the convertible body styles uniquely developed by AMC.
Competition from the "Big Three," the rise of Asian import automobiles, new safety regulations, the 1973 oil crisis, and 1979 energy crisis left American Motors in a weak position in the U.S. marketplace. The company had three product lines: a profitable line of government vehicles, Jeeps, and passenger cars. However, sales dropped suddenly in 1979 with a declining economy meaning all four of the U.S. automakers saw their sales plummet, but this decline was dangerous to AMC's survival with only 2% share of the U.S. passenger car market.
Banks refused to provide AMC further credit to develop new products for the changing marketplace, so AMC turned to Renault for a $90 million loan. As the U.S. economy entered the early 1980s recession, AMC signed an agreement with Renault giving a share in AMC's ownership in exchange for the rights to sell Renault cars in the U.S. During the time when Chrysler received US$1.5 billion in loan guarantees when Congress passed the "Chrysler Corporation Loan Guarantee Act of 1979", AMC was not considered by lawmakers to be "too big to fail" and thus the smallest U.S. automaker sought assistance from the French government-owned company. By the end of 1980, Renault held a controlling interest of AMC. Some called it "Franco-American Motors," a pun on the French-American combination and the Franco-American food company.
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Wikipedia