Renault Alliance - Production

Production

The Alliance was a 2- or 4-door sedan, launched in June 1982 as a 1983 model after a US$150 million overhaul of AMC's Kenosha, Wisconsin, assembly plant. Although it was branded as a Renault, the car bore AMC's logo on rear window decals.

The Alliance were modern front-drive sedans with a 163.8-inch (4,161 mm) overall length on a 97.8-inch (2,484 mm) wheelbase and a thrifty, transverse four-cylinder engine. The Alliance had a long list of standard equipment and got 37 miles per US gallon (6.4 L/100 km; 44 mpg) in city driving. Fuel economy on the highway with the 5-speed manual transmission approached 60 mpg (3.9 L/100 km; 72 mpg). It was a sensible car for a post-oil crisis period in which good fuel economy was highly prized.

The Alliance used Renault supplied OHV engine in 1.4 L and an OHC 1.7 L engine with Renix throttle-body fuel injection from the Renault Le Car. The proven four-cylinder was now dressed in the latest electronics boasting an electronically controlled fuel system, a digital ignition system, and a microprocessor to manage the optional three-speed automatic transmission. California emissions standards required the use of port injection. Power went through either a four-or five-speed manual, or a three-speed automatic transaxle. The base engine produced 64 hp (48 kW; 65 PS) to get the 2,030-pound (921 kg) Alliance from 0 to 60 mph in a leisurely 14.3 seconds, and gave it an 89-mile (143 km) top speed. Steering was rack and pinion. Suspension was fully independent via MacPherson struts in front, and a compact and quite ingenious system of transverse torsion bars and trailing arms at the rear. At just under 2,000 pounds (907 kg) for the base model, the Alliance was also the lightest car assembled in the U.S. in its time.

The Alliance was slightly smaller on the outside than the competing first generation Ford Escort (North America), but a somewhat bigger on the inside where it looked larger and more inviting. Interior space was good for four or occasionally five people, in part due to a cleverly engineered front seat—where the seat was mounted on a 9-inch (229 mm) wide central rail (rather than two side tracks) allowing for copious rear foot room on either side of the rail. In addition to the usual recline and fore-and-aft movements, the upscale DL models got a curved track that allowed the seat to be adjusted along the arc to find the most comfortable position for driver and passenger.

The Alliance sold well with over 142,000 of the debut 1983 models. Bolstered by two- and four-door hatchback derivatives called Encore, sales zoomed to over 208,000 the following year. However, the cars came out just in time to encounter a sag in the small-car market because as fuel prices fell, consumers began to drift away to larger automobiles, leaving the Renault-based models to scramble against low-priced Chevrolet Chevettes, Ford Escorts, the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon twins, as well as a slew of Japanese imports.

By 1985, the U.S. automobile market was starting to move away from the subcompact Alliance and Encore as the gasoline crisis ended and consumers were looking at larger cars. However, American Motors had stopped production of the Concord and Spirit in 1983. The Eagle Medallion, a larger model than the Alliance from Renault (to replace the Renault 18) was not going to be ready until 1987.

The 1.7 L fuel injection (EFI) engine with 5-speed transmission was introduced in 1985 as optional on all versions except the base car. It developed 96 pound-feet (130 N·m) of torque at 3000 rpm and 77.5 hp (58 kW; 79 PS) at 5000 rpm. In addition to the sedan, the Alliance was offered as a convertible (AMC's first droptops since the 1968 Rebel) between 1985 and 1987. That buyers were asking at AMC dealerships for an Alliance-based wagon was lost on Renault, who pointed them toward the larger Renault 18 Sportwagon (whose image was by now substantially tarnished). In 1987, the two Encore shortened body variants were renamed the Alliance Hatchback.

Improving economic conditions, lower gasoline prices, as well as increasing competition in the subcompact market segment from imported vehicles meant that total Alliance and Encore sales fell to 150,000 for 1985, then to 65,000 in 1986, and finally to only about 35,000 in 1987.

American Motors' had several early 4-door Alliance models converted into stretch limousines for publicity and official use.