AMC (American Motors) Concord History

Rather than develop an all-new car, AMC re-trimmed and quieted the aging Hornet into the Concord for 1978, adding richer appointments and styling and marketing it as 'the luxury America wants, the size America needs.' It became AMC's volume seller — over 406,000 built — until the front-drive Renault Alliance arrived in 1983.

The Concord's 'junior' platform was the basis for AMC's most influential car, the four-wheel-drive Eagle, which historians credit with pioneering the crossover. The Concord itself ran through 1983 as AMC transitioned toward Renault-derived front-drive models.