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116-567: 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

232-540: A U.S. content of 72%. The engine, gearbox, and some axle parts come from France, thus qualifying it as a domestic vehicle, and making it the first car (in 1983) with a foreign nameplate to win the Motor Trend Car of the Year award. Motor Trend subsequently dropped the distinction between domestic and imported vehicles for the award in 2000. A long-term test of a four-door Alliance by Popular Mechanics described

348-706: A 1.6-liter (98 cu in) engine in lieu of the 1.4-liter (85 cu in) overhead-cam four-cylinder, rated at 60 hp (45 kW) instead of 52 hp (39 kW), along with a rear stabilizer and special body graphics. The Chevette Woody (1976) featured simulated wood-grain siding and upgraded interior and exterior trim. The Scooter was offered as a base model with a $ 2,899 suggested retail price (equivalent to $ 15,500 in 2023), two front passenger seats, an optional rear seat, deletion of most exterior chrome (e.g., window surrounds), painted rather than chrome bumpers, an open glove box, black carpeting, door-pull straps in lieu of arm rests, fiberboard door panels, and

464-474: A Bosch LU multi-point fuel-injection system. The 1984 models introduced innovative electronics that included an infrared remote power locking system, a "Systems Sentry" monitoring fluid levels, as well electronically tuned sound systems. Bolstered by the additional two- and four-door hatchback models, sales increased to over 208,000 for 1984. While the financial fortunes of its French partner faltered, AMC recorded $ 7.4 million profit in fourth quarter of 1983, which

580-774: A Chevrolet dealer in Springdale, Ohio. The T-car had been launched internationally in Brazil under the Chevette name in 1973, as a two-door sedan and ultimately a four-door sedan, a two-door hatchback , and a two-door station wagon (named Marajó ), as well as a utility (named the Chevy 500 ), produced until 1994. The origin of the Chevette Engine has been long debated. Many reference Italian coffee table book Tutte le Auto del Mondo 1985, p. 187 and p189 . from

696-523: A Ford engine (thus now known as Spec Racer Fords ), and run in the SCCA club-racing program. The 1983 Motor Trend Car of the Year award for the Renault Alliance was an industry-wide recognition that contributed to increased sales, as well as to AMC's profits of about $ 15 million in 1984 (US$ 43,991,031 in 2023 dollars). The Alliance afforded AMC the opportunity to field a new compact car without

812-537: A Renault, the car carried AMC's logo on a rear window decal and was officially classified as a domestic automobile as it was manufactured with more than 70% U.S.-produced parts. The Alliance was a front-drive sedan with a 163.8-inch (4,161 mm) overall length on a 97.8-inch (2,484 mm) wheelbase featuring a thrifty, transverse four-cylinder engine. The Alliance had a long list of standard equipment and achieved 37 miles per US gallon (6.4 L/100 km; 44 mpg ‑imp ) in city driving. Fuel economy on

928-664: A chrome "Bright Package". Front seats featured inertia locking mechanisms that enabled entry and exit adjustment of the front seatback without using a separate release. Pontiac marketed a rebadged variant in Canada as the "Acadian". In addition to being the smallest, most fuel-efficient car marketed by Chevrolet, the Chevette was the lightest car marketed in the U.S. The EPA rated the base 1.4-liter engine at 28 miles per US gallon (8.4 L/100 km; 34 mpg ‑imp ) city and 40 miles per US gallon (5.9 L/100 km; 48 mpg ‑imp ) highway. Chevrolet claimed that

1044-485: A companion model called Encore featuring a hatchback in both two- and four-door versions. The new derivatives featured a redesigned rear end and were 3.2 inches (81 mm) shorter than the Alliance sedans. "More versatile and a little more luxurious than the Alliance," the marketing objective of the Encore was to attract younger and more "upscale" customers, but they were really the same cars. California engines featured

1160-458: A contrast to the previous 14 consecutive quarters of losses. According to Jose Dedeurwaerder , a Renault executive who became AMC's president, 1984 was profitable for AMC on an annual basis for the first time since 1979 during which the automaker lost $ 637.6 million. However, the new Encores were introduced 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

1276-441: 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

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1392-536: A few more years in Ecuador and Colombia. The Chevette originally appeared with a 1.4-liter single overhead cam inline-four. In 1981 this was augmented by a locally developed 1.6-liter version, it too with a single carburetor. The Brazilian 1.4 and 1.6 were similar to but not the same as the EPA compliant North American 1.4 and 1.6. For 1988, the 1.6 gained a twin-carb setup and now produced 78 PS (57 kW) rather than

1508-579: A foreign manufacturer can, in a combined effort, produce a very good car." In 1983, Popular Science described that, "Renault will find its reputation dramatically brightened when word of the AMC Alliance gets around." The report expanded, "The new Alliance is a miracle for AMC. Not only does it show a general excellence in construction and appointments, it's also a state-of-the-art front-wheel-drive that AMC could not have produced on its own. Combine those three elements and you have tough competition for

1624-523: A full-color nationwide campaign in 140–150 of the country's largest daily papers, the New York Times said the "little American car holds its own with the foreigners." Looking back on the Chevette in 2011, the same publication called the Chevette "haphazardly made, sparsely trimmed and underpowered." Consumer Guide described the Chevette as “unimaginative to an extreme.” Under the direction of chief engineer John Mowrey, Chevrolet began developing

1740-562: A group of younger buyers who otherwise shop for used cars. While fuel prices at the time were increasing, the small cars were planned before fuel prices soared; for example, Honda had announced that it would release a subcompact model as early as 2004. By 2008, sales of subcompact cars had dramatically increased in the wake of a continuing increase of fuel prices. At the same time, sales of pickup trucks and large sport utility vehicles had dropped sharply. By April 2008, sales of Toyota’s subcompact Yaris had increased 46 percent, and Honda’s Fit had

1856-516: A higher average transaction price. Models that were no longer sold in the United States by the end of the decade include the Mazda 2 (discontinued after 2014), Scion xD (2016), Toyota Prius C (2017), Ford Fiesta (2019), Smart Fortwo (2019), Fiat 500 (2019), Toyota Yaris (2020), Honda Fit (2020), and Chevrolet Sonic (2020). Chevrolet Chevette The Chevrolet Chevette

1972-468: A largely unsuccessful assortment of cars" including imports from Renault . Moreover, the Alliance line of passenger automobiles did not fit in Chrysler's existing product mix. The final year saw about 35,000 Alliances sold in 1987. The Renault GTA was a performance version of the Alliance for the 1987 model year. It was manufactured during 1986 and early 1987 as a limited production, specialty model. It

2088-454: A lower hanging dashboard, automatic seatbelts, and a center-dash console. Chevette sales totaled more than 451,000 units – a figure that would rank it second only to Chevrolet's new Citation , which had a much longer model run (sales had started in April 1979). Consumer Guide testers managed "an honest 29 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway". The 1980 rear fascia was revised with

2204-518: A passenger seat without fore-aft adjustment. A total of 9,810 Scooter models were manufactured, compared to 178,007 regular hatchbacks. In 1977, the engines offered were 57 hp (43 kW) and 63 hp (47 kW). The Scooter hatchback included a rear seat, while offering a rear-seat delete option. The Sandpiper trim package included a “reef”-patterned interior, deluxe door trim, cream gold or antique white exterior colors, and an exterior Sandpiper logo just behind each door. In 1978, models had

2320-572: A rebadged Chevette, received all the T1000's Pontiac-exclusive features from this point on. Chevrolet sold 433,000 Chevettes in 1981 and 233,000 in 1982. In 1983, the Chevettes had a makeover for the front and rear fasciae, and the Chevette CS was introduced. A black-finished grille and trim moldings replaced most chrome pieces. Scooter and base Chevettes featured black bumpers and end caps, while

2436-497: A record month with an increase of 54 percent. However, low fuel prices and the added room in SUVs impacted subcompact sales negatively in the late 2010s. During this period, industry executives and analysts said that the subcompact car market was returning to historical norms after an unusual period when manufacturers had expanded small car lineups in anticipation of rising demand fueled by rising fuel prices, which has since eased. In

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2552-424: A revised grille with a grid design, while the grille and headlight frames were chromed for standard models, a four-door hatchback riding on a 97.3-inch (2,470 mm) wheelbase was added – two inches longer than the two-door – and this version accounted for more than half of the Chevette's nearly 300,000 sales. The 1.4-liter engine and Woody package were dropped with a fuel door added. A TH-180 automatic transmission

2668-482: A second vehicle for use around town, not as a primary car. The Volkswagen Beetle was marketed with advertising pointing out the car's unconventional features as strengths and to get buyers to "think small." Prompted by the British government for exports, Ford was one of the first companies to try and sell inexpensive small cars in volume. From 1948 to 1970, approximately 250,000 economical English Fords were imported to

2784-504: 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

2900-470: A small spoiler on the rear trunk, red inlaid shift knob, close ratio gears on the manual transmission, stiffer engine mounts, larger brake booster, and special bolstered "racing" seats unique to the model. An automatic transmission was not available. Road test of the GTA described it to be quite comfortable with responsive handling that "was particularly impressive on tortuous back roads. It just hung in there like

3016-481: A sports car under the most trying conditions ... Hard acceleration will usually result in spinning wheels and a good deal of torque steer." The GTA served as "last-ditch" sales boosters for the economical Alliance line. However, the models were discontinued when Chrysler bought AMC and Renault pulled out of the U.S. market. The Renault 9 was voted the 1982 European Car of the Year. It became France's most popular car and Renault's best selling model ever. The Alliance

3132-532: A squared-off hatch, wraparound taillights with combined, single-colored turn signals, and a round gas-filler door. In August 1981, a diesel engine option was new with a late 1981 availability – this is a 1.8-liter Isuzu unit only available coupled to an Isuzu five-speed. The 51 hp (38 kW) powertrain is the same as was installed in the Isuzu I-Mark . It was not available with air conditioning. New styled-steel wheels with center caps were offered, and

3248-631: A station wagon, as a pickup, or as a double-cab pickup. This replaced an earlier version (since 1976) which used bodywork based on that of the Vauxhall Viva , as well as Vauxhall mechanics. By 1980 the Vauxhall parts had become impossible to import and Grumett switched to Chevette parts from Brazil. The Grumett used the original 1.4-liter version of the Chevette engine. The regular Chevette was also assembled in Uruguay, by General Motors Uruguaya. It

3364-524: A top speed of 53 mph (85 km/h). A luxury variant of the Chevette, the Leata Cabalero, was manufactured and marketed for model years 1976 and 1977 by Stinebaugh Manufacturing Company, founded by Donald E. Stinebaugh (1916–1992) with his son Leonard D. "Sonny" Stinebaugh (1946–2001) in Post Falls, Idaho . Donald Stinebaugh named the car after his wife Hilda (Erickson) Stinebaugh, giving

3480-578: Is a front-engine, rear-drive subcompact manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet for model years 1976–1987 as a three-door or five-door hatchback . Introduced in North America in September 1975, the Chevette superseded the Vega as Chevrolet's entry-level subcompact, and sold 2.8 million units over 12 years. The Chevette was the best-selling small car in the U.S. for model years 1979 and 1980. The Chevette employed General Motors' global T platform which

3596-420: Is really excellent, transforming the bland Alliance econobox into a veritable Pocket Rocket." In 1987, the New York Times reported, "despite the favorable early response to products like the Alliance and the Encore, the models failed to generate enough sales to prevent AMC's share of the car market from declining to about 1 percent." The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) spec-racing series Renault LeCar Cup

Renault Alliance - Misplaced Pages Continue

3712-465: The AMC Gremlin , Chevrolet Vega , and Ford Pinto . The term subcompact originated during the 1960s. However, it came into popular use in the early 1970s, as car manufacturers in the United States began to introduce smaller cars into their line-up. Previously, cars in this size were variously categorized, including "small cars" or "economy cars". Several of these small cars were produced in

3828-510: The Concord and Spirit in 1983 (the four-wheel drive AMC Eagle continued to be built), while the larger Medallion (to replace the Renault 18 ) was not going to be ready until 1987. The automaker offered zero-interest financing on the Alliance and Encore models in the fall of 1986. By mid-December 1986, around 2,000 hourly employees at its Kenosha factory were put on temporary layoff through

3944-541: The Escort , Chevette and Horizon and the imports, and a product that comes close to being the best in its class." A 1983 report in the New York Times described, "the Alliance's appeal has brought AMC's United States car sales 117.6 percent ahead of 1982 levels." After a long-term road test conducted by Popular Mechanics of a four-door with a 1.7 L and automatic transmission setup in 1985, and summarized

4060-686: The Ford Mustang II temporarily downsized from the pony car class to become a subcompact car for its second generation. The Monza with its GM variants Pontiac Sunbird , Buick Skyhawk , Oldsmobile Starfire , and the Mustang II continued until the end of the decade. The Chevrolet Chevette was GM's new entry-level subcompact introduced as a 1976 model. It was an 'Americanized' design from Opel , GM's German subsidiary. Additionally, subcompacts that were imported and marketed through domestic manufacturers' dealer networks as captive imports included

4176-655: 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 Dick Teague , with both

4292-575: The Renault Le Car and the Ford Fiesta . In 1977, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began to use a new vehicle classification system, based on interior volume instead of exterior size. Sedans with up to 100 cubic feet of passenger luggage volume were classified as subcompact. There was not a separate subcompact station wagon class with all up to 130 cubic feet of volume classified as "small." In 1978, Volkswagen began producing

4408-589: The Sports Renault race car, a single make series created by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) in 1984. Designed by Roy Lunn , it was a low-cost purpose-built racer. The car was developed and manufactured by Renault/Jeep Sport USA in Livonia, Michigan , under direction of Vic Elford ; with more than five hundred were built. Most cars still exist, although the majority have been converted to use

4524-715: The Suzuki Cultus (a three-cylinder hatchback, badged as the Chevrolet Sprint) and the Isuzu Gemini (a four-cylinder hatchback/sedan badged as the Chevrolet Spectrum). Subcompact cars were highly popular in the 1990s due to their affordability and fuel efficiency. These cars typically had engines under 1.6 liters and were ideal for city driving. During the 1990s GM offered the Geo brand featuring

4640-456: The "Alliance" nameplate. Consumer clinics were conducted between 1979 and 1982 using a fiberglass mockup (and later with actual cars) to evaluate various issues that concerned AMC officials. Market research indicated that consumers preferred the Renault name over AMC, though not strongly. The model was named the Renault Alliance, with the AMC logo only on a small sticker affixed on the inside of

4756-591: The "Rabbit" version of the Golf — a modern, front-wheel drive design— in Pennsylvania. In 1982, American Motors began manufacturing the U.S. Renault Alliance — a version of the Renault 9 — in Wisconsin. Both models benefiting from European designs, development, and experience. To replace the aging Chevette in the second half of the 1980s, Chevrolet introduced marketed imported front-wheel drive subcompact cars:

Renault Alliance - Misplaced Pages Continue

4872-475: The "check engine" light, and a new bowtie emblem on the front grille. In 1987, Chevrolet dropped the Chevette S model and the diesel engine option (after 324 were sold in 1986, plus 264 diesel-engined Pontiac 1000). These were the last North American market General Motors diesel passenger cars built for many decades, following the discontinuation of the Oldsmobile Diesel engine . The Chevette's price

4988-691: The 1.0 had a brief sales life. It only remained available until 1993, after which the Corsa took over. A 1.8-liter Isuzu diesel-engined version was also built in Uruguay, exclusively for the Uruguayan market. In the Brazilian market, both the 1.4 and the 1.6 were available in gasoline and alcohol versions. In Argentina, the Kadett C was originally marketed as the Opel K-180 , but between 1992 and 1995,

5104-486: The 1.0-litre "Chevette Junior" for early 1992. This used a narrow-bore, short-stroke 50 PS (37 kW) version of the OHC engine with a catalytic converter. The Junior did not do particularly well in the market, competing against the much more modern Fiat Uno Mille , Volkswagen Gol , and Ford Escort Hobby . Being rather underpowered and heavy at 865 kg (1,907 lb), with a top speed of 134 km/h (83 mph),

5220-473: The 1.6 was now also available to run on gasoól and a five-speed manual gearbox was available as an option. The Latin American Chevettes underwent a series of facelifts, in 1978, 1983, and a major one in 1987, which meant new headlights and a black plastic grille. Where available, the station wagon used the Chevette name outside of Brazil. The hatchback remained in production until 1988, while

5336-529: The 1.6-liter OHC inline four rated at 70 hp, this model continued in production until 1994, and was the last Chevette version built in Brazil, where it was replaced by the coupé utility version of Chevrolet Corsa . Created by Horacio Torrendell, a fibreglass-bodied version (actually based on the Vauxhall Chevette 's bodywork) called the Grumett was built in Uruguay. It was available either as

5452-402: The 72 PS (53 kW) in earlier version. This engine remained available until the end of Brazilian Chevette production. The lower-powered 1.4 was only available for gasohol as of 1981 and was discontinued entirely after 1982. A gasohol-powered version of the 1.6 appeared in its stead for 1983. As a tax cut for sub-1-liter cars appeared in late 1990, General Motors do Brasil responded with

5568-452: 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

5684-415: The Alliance was an innovation to the U.S. mass-market. 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 accelerate the 2,030-pound (921 kg) Alliance from 0 to 60 mph in 14.3 seconds, and gave it an 89-mile (143 km) per hour top speed. Steering was rack and pinion . The suspension system

5800-471: The Chevette on December 24, 1973. It was a response to the federal CAFE standards and the 1973 oil crisis . The Chevette was prompted by GM's Energy Task Force, which arose out of the crisis and the resultant shift in consumer demand to smaller, foreign vehicles boasting greater fuel efficiency. The Chevette used as its basis GM's World Car, Project 909–what would become the T-car program, so named because

5916-434: The Chevette's turning circle (30.2 feet (9.2 m)) was one of the smallest in the world and that it was essentially a "metric" car, "international in design and heritage". The 1976–1978 Chevettes can be identified by round headlights. Chrome-rimmed, tricolor taillights were used from 1976 to 1979. Chevrolet marketed optional "Rally" and "Woody" packages, as well as the least expensive "Scooter" model. The Rally 1.6 included

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6032-493: The Holley two-barrel carburetor became standard on all models. The front fascia was revised with a flat hood, no longer wrapping down to the bumper. New for 1979 was a large chrome grille with Chevrolet's "bow-tie" emblem and rectangular headlights. A new air-injection system was introduced to improve catalytic-converter function at idle. An active passenger-restraint system was introduced in small numbers as an option which featured

6148-565: The Italian magazine Quattroruote .This book is cited as source for the majority of sites that give the same info. According to those who reference that book, the engine is either a 1.4L Isuzu G140 or 1.6L G161Z. And that the inline four Isuzu engine had its block cast in Brazil. On the other side of the debate is an article by the well respected Brazilian Automotive Journalist Bob Sharp from December 2011. Sharp, Bob (2011-12-29). "Origem Do Motor Do Chevette" . Autoentusiastas . Archived from

6264-619: The Marajó continued to be available until 1989. Marajó is an island located at the mouth of the Amazon River in Brazil. The four-door sedan version was built until 1989, mainly for export to other Latin American countries. The two-door sedan remained in production until 1993, only outlived by the pickup version ( Chevy 500 ), which continued until 1994 after having been first launched in 1983. The four-door sedan continued to be built for

6380-532: The Renault-based models to scramble against low-priced Chevrolet Chevettes (and their Pontiac 1000 cousins), Ford Escorts (and their Mercury Lynx cousins), the Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon twins, as well as Japanese imports that were gaining popularity and market share. The 1.7 L fuel injection (EFI) engine with 5-speed transmission was introduced in 1985 as optional on all versions except

6496-628: The Suzuki-built Metro subcompact. Subcompact cars of the 1990s typically featured a small footprint, lightweight design, and engines with displacements generally under 1.6 liters. They were designed to provide maximum interior space while maintaining a compact exterior, making them ideal for city driving and parking. Several models defined the subcompact car market during the 1990s. Some of the most notable include: The 1990s focused on fuel efficiency and emissions, leading to innovations in fuel injection and aerodynamics. These subcompacts set

6612-399: The T1000 (later, simply "1000") concurrently from 1981 to 1985. Power steering was a new option for the Chevette, as well as a 3.36 axle ratio (standard on T1000 models). The active passenger-restraint system was discontinued. New lighter-weight bucket seats were introduced that lacked much of the lower support of the heavier "panned" seats. A new adhesive-based, thinner windshield seal replaced

6728-470: The U.S. at least three times a year. Originally only a four-door sedan body style, Teague and AMC's design staff decided to mock-up a two-door coupe just before Opron was to review the work of the American team. Renault executives came in to run things alongside AMC officials, and the venerable factory in Kenosha, Wisconsin , was retooled to produce an Americanized version of the Renault 9 subcompact under

6844-595: The U.S. in limited volumes, including the 1930 American Austin (later called the American Bantam) and the 1939 Crosley . From the 1950s onwards, various imported small cars were sold in the U.S., including the Nash Metropolitan , Volkswagen Beetle , and various small British cars. The term subcompact did not yet exist, so the Metropolitan was labeled a "compact or economy car" and marketed as

6960-409: The U.S., because the EPA's name for this smaller category — "minicompact" — is not commonly used by the general public. The prevalence of small cars in the United States increased in the 1960s due to increased imports of cars from Europe and Japan. Widespread use of the term subcompact coincided with the early 1970s increase in subcompact cars built in the United States. Early 1970s subcompacts include

7076-488: The US while over 235,000 went to Canada. Models such as the 1960 Ford Anglia were promoted as "The world's most exciting light car." Due to the increasing popularity of small cars imported from Europe and Japan during the late 1960s, the American manufacturers began releasing competing locally-built models in the early 1970s. The AMC Gremlin was described at its April 1970 introduction as "the first American-built import" and

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7192-953: The United States (1981–1987); K-180 in Argentina; Vauxhall Chevette in the United Kingdom, Austria, France, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, and Uruguay; Opel Kadett C in Germany; Isuzu Gemini in Japan, Holden Gemini in Australia; AYMESA Cóndor in Ecuador (from 1978); Saehan Gemini and Daewoo Maepsy in South Korea; and as a coupe utility (pickup), the Chevy (or GMC) 500 in Brazil and South America. A T-car variant remained in production in South America through 1998. Introduced on

7308-420: The United States, the segment experienced a 50 percent drop in sales in the first half of 2020 compared to 2019. In Canada, the subcompact share of the car market shrank to 1.6 percent for the year ending 2020, down from 2.4 percent in 2019. As a result, manufacturers stopped offering subcompact models and focused on larger cars instead, including subcompact crossover SUVs which offer higher profit margins and

7424-656: The Vega's much-heralded aluminum-block engine. The first North American Chevette, a two-door hatchback called the Chevette Scooter, rolled off the assembly line on August 18, 1975 and officially introduced on September 16, in Washington, DC, with the first models going on sale on October 2, just after new legislation-mandated Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. With initial projected sales of 275,000 units in its first year, numbers were cut in half as

7540-402: The base model. It developed 96 pound-feet (130 N⋅m) of torque at 3000 rpm and 77.5 hp (58 kW; 79 PS) at 5000 rpm. Designed to be either gasoline or diesel, the new five main bearing engine was torture tested to higher levels than normal to be "the strongest Four in the industry." The fully pressurized cooling system eliminated corrosive oxygen while engineers reduced

7656-627: The bigger-engined versions. About one quarter of the production was exported. The Chevrolet Chevy 500 was the coupé utility version of the Brazilian Chevette. Launched in 1983, it was the precursor to the Classic/ Corsa / Montana lineup of today. It competed with offerings from several other manufacturers, including the Fiat Fiorino , Ford Pampa , and Volkswagen Saveiro . Its payload was 500 kg (1,100 lb). Using

7772-403: The buy-out of American Motors, Chrysler will continue to market the subcompact Renault Alliance..." Alliance production at the Kenosha plant closed out as of Friday, 5 June 1987. The Alliance competed with Chrysler's domestic and imported models such as the Dodge Omni , Shadow and Colt , as well as similar versions sold by Plymouth . With AMC's acquisition, Chrysler saw itself "saddled with

7888-442: The car as "economical, well-built and has superb ride quality" summarizing that "it's nearly perfect." The engine was smooth, refined, and built tight, but difficult to "keep on cam" with the automatic transmission. The suspension system was praised for its ability to cope with "suspension-destruction" roads at higher than normal speeds while providing good road feel with excellent handling and cornering – achieving .71  g-force on

8004-417: The car her nickname, Leata – a misspelling of lita , Norwegian for "little" in feminine form. The Leata featured power windows, power seat and cruise control – as well as baroque styling with custom fiberglass body panels, round headlights in square bezels, a rectangular "classic" grille, and heavily styled fenders; 97 were made either in pickup or hatchback body styles. The Chevrolet Chevette

8120-414: The catalytic converter. A new catalytic converter was introduced with an air inlet for forced air injection from the air pump. A new one-piece cardboard-based headliner with an updated overhead dome light replaced the earlier vinyl liner. The Pontiac T1000 received a unique grille, body molding, and horizontal lined taillights, as well as an alloy sport wheel option. General Motors of Canada's Pontiac Acadian,

8236-413: The design and construction of the prototypes were entirely German. The engine was designed specifically for the Kadett C — our Chevette — and would complement a 1.2-liter OHV (in-block valve timing and overhead valves). The new engine was a 1.4-liter OHC (overhead valve control) and it was the first time that Opel used a timing belt to drive the control.″ and Buechler adds: ″The project for the new engine

8352-718: 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. With the United States dollar then relatively weak against the French franc , manufacturing in the U.S. seemed the best way to grow especially since fuel prices were rising and the major U.S. carmakers had yet to bring out large numbers of small, fuel-efficient cars. Renault's objective

8468-626: The equivalent of the Brazilian Chevette was sold there as the GMC Chevette . Production in Colombia, where a special version for taxi usage was also built, continued until 1998. The Chevette was the number-one seller in Chile for some time, last in 1991. The Chevette was made locally in Chile in 2-door and 4-door form from 1976 to 1983 while the Marajo station wagon was always imported from Brazil as

8584-456: The expense of its design and tooling, still the business relationship with Renault exacted a heavy price on the U.S. company. The automaker was required to shed its profitable AM General line of commercial and military vehicles because of U.S. Government regulations prohibiting foreign companies from owning domestic military suppliers. Subcompact car According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) car size class definition,

8700-403: The experience as a "faithful servant", but a "generic no-frills car" – except for the unusual steering wheel stalks – that "nothing gave us pause" with their "compliant appliance". By 1986, a Popular Science comparison with newly introduced Asian-built competing cars, the Renault Alliance was described as the oldest design, and "felt the most refined." The road test noted the Renault did well in

8816-688: The first U.S. built subcompact car. Also introduced in 1970 were the Chevrolet Vega and Ford Pinto . Plans for the subcompact AMC Gremlin pre-dated Vega and Pinto by several years because of AMC's strategy to recognize emerging market opportunities ahead of the competition. Sales of American-built "low weight cars" (including subcompacts) accounted for more than 30% of total car sales in 1972 and 1973, despite inventory shortages for several models. The Gremlin, Pinto and Vega were all rear-wheel drive and available with four-cylinder engines (the Pinto

8932-646: The first week of January to balance inventory with sales of the Alliance. A separate model was added for the 1987 model year, the GTA that offered higher performance and its name recalled the Alpine GTA . All models received a front end facelift and featured new headlamps. The remainder of the Alliance line was carried over, but the two Encore hatchback body variants were renamed the Alliance Hatchback . The government of French President François Mitterrand

9048-468: The higher-end Chevette CS models included color-keyed bumpers and caps with chrome bumper inserts as an option. Scooter and base models featured a black-only grille and headlight buckets, while CS models featured argent-colored trim. The Chevette S model introduced a cosmetic package that included black-painted styled-steel wheels and a red-accented grille and moldings, as well as oversized decal emblems in red. Front bucket seats featured new adjustable knobs on

9164-446: The highway with the 5-speed manual transmission approached 60 mpg ‑US (3.9 L/100 km; 72 mpg ‑imp ). It was a sensible car for a post-oil crisis period in which good fuel economy was highly prized. The Alliance used a Renault supplied OHV 1.4 L I4 engine from the Renault Le Car . Cars sold in 49-states came with a Renix throttle-body fuel injection, while California emissions standards required

9280-508: The larger Renault 18 Sportwagon. 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 buying larger cars. Increasing competition in the subcompact market segment from imported vehicles meant that total Alliance and Encore sales fell to 150,000 for 1985. Improving economic conditions and lower gasoline prices meant total sales dropped to 65,000 in 1986. American Motors had already stopped production of

9396-454: The lock-ring type. In 1982, models featured a five-speed manual transmission option on gasoline-powered two-door cars (standard with diesel). The Scooter was newly available as a four-door hatchback. New GM THM-180C (THM200C for diesel model) automatic transmissions, which included a locking torque converter for greater fuel mileage, were available. Introduction of a pump-driven AIR system in the late model year replaced PAIR to help efficiency of

9512-480: The new Jeep-Eagle division of Chrysler. The focus of Chrysler's acquisition was on the highly profitable Jeep vehicles and the brand-new Brampton Assembly plant that was just built in Ontario, Canada. In the first five months of 1987, only 13,390 Alliances were sold while inventory levels increased. Nevertheless, press kits were prepared for the 1988 models and early media reports of upcoming 1988 cars stated "with

9628-551: The number of connections to avoid coolant leaks for both the 1.7 and 1.4 engines. In addition to the sedan, the Alliance was now offered as a convertible for 1985 (AMC's first of this body type since the 1968 Rebel ). The design was in collaboration with American Sunroof Company (now American Specialty Cars ) that reinforced the Alliance's unibody for torsional rigidity during manufacture in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Potential buyers were asking at AMC/Jeep/Renault dealerships for an Alliance-based station wagon , who pointed them toward

9744-553: The original on 2016-12-13. In this article, Bob speaks with 3 engineers who worked on Project 909 and what became the Chevette Engine at the Opel facility in Russelsheim, Germany. These engineers were Carlos Beuchler, Pedro Manuchakian, and Francisco Satkunas. All 3 has long careers with GM of Brazil with both Beuchler and Satukunas later holding the position of VP of Engineering. Translated from that article, ″Satkunas says that

9860-414: The previous wheel and hubcap design was discontinued. Domestic models received a new computer command control feedback system on gasoline engines. The HO option was discontinued. Electronic spark timing was used on 1981 models in place of mechanical timing advance. A new engine cylinder head design (swirl-port) was introduced to improve low-end torque and fuel economy . The Pontiac T1000 was introduced in

9976-439: The price of oil stabilized. The Chevette ultimately reached 2,793,353 sales for its entire production across the 12 model years 1976–1987. Global T-car sales surpassed 7 million in the end. The last Chevette was manufactured on December 23, 1986, at Lakewood Assembly – following the end of production at Wilmington Assembly in September, 1985. The last Chevette manufactured was a light-blue two-door hatchback shipped to

10092-559: The rear wheels. A four-speed manual transmission was standard, while a three-speed automatic transmission was optional. Other features included rack-and-pinion steering, front disc brakes, front stabilizer bar, 13-inch tires, tricolor taillights, front bucket seats, an onboard diagnostic system, extensive acoustic insulation, a single steering column-mounted stalk (integrating controls for signal indicators, wipers, and windshield washers), and factory options including swing-out rear quarter windows, AM/FM radio, analog clock, delayed wipers, and

10208-432: The rear window, as well as printed at the bottom or back of the advertising materials. Production began in 1982, making Renault the second European automaker to build cars in the U.S. The cars were aimed at the lowest price range in the U.S. market, the two-door Alliance had a sticker price starting at $ 5,595. The European Car of the Year for 1982 was described as "the bargain of the year in the U.S." for 1983. The Alliance

10324-515: The sides, but lost the reclining levers of previous years. Interior trim was also blacked out with new black door handles and black plastic window regulators. An integrated cassette deck was optional with the stereo package. A chrome strip on the dashboard was available only on CS and S models until the end of production. Deluxe door panels were discontinued and all models featured plastic door panels, but base and Scooter models still featured laminated cardboard cargo area panels. The "diagnostic connector"

10440-446: The skid pad with the small standard 175/70xR13 tires. A 1983 Popular Mechanics survey of 1,000 owners said "60% of our respondents rated the Alliance's workmanship excellent. That's a high figure for any car and considerably above the norm for U.S. built cars." The magazine's editor-in-chief, John Linkletter, addressed the findings that, "the old canard about shoddy American craftsmanship suffers" and that "an American manufacturer and

10556-512: The spring of 1981 for both the U.S. and Canadian markets, which shared all body stampings with the Chevette, featuring a chrome center with black-trimmed grille and headlight buckets, as well as standard chrome window trim with black area fill. The T1000 also had additional fresh-air vents at the outer ends of the dashboard. This gave Canadian Pontiac dealers 2 versions of the T-car: the Acadian and

10672-483: The stage for modern small cars, emphasizing efficiency and reliability. Because of consumer demand for fuel-efficient cars during the mid- to late-2000s, sales of subcompact cars made them the fastest growing market category in the U.S. In 2006, three major subcompact models were introduced to the market, the Toyota Yaris , Honda Fit , and Nissan Versa . These models were released by their manufacturers to aim at

10788-631: The subcompact category sits between the "minicompact" and " compact " categories. The EPA definition of a subcompact is a passenger car with a combined interior and cargo volume of 85–99 cubic feet (2,410–2,800 L). Current examples of subcompact cars are the Nissan Versa and Mitsubishi Mirage . The smaller cars in the A-segment/city car category (such as the Chevrolet Spark and Smart Fortwo) are sometimes called subcompacts in

10904-454: The tests with "trunk and doors closed with an almost Mercedes-like clunk" and "the car's excellent handling" allowing to remain poised through potholes and "stable when passed by large tractor-trailer trucks." The Alliance performed better than the new Hyundai Excel and that Renault "dealers would be willing to negotiate on the final price." In 1987, Popular Mechanics reported on the Alliance convertible in sports trim, saying "the GTA package

11020-470: The transmission project.″ The article gives some details on the engine, it's relation to the Family II, and some issues with the development. The Chevette itself was initially available only as a two-door hatchback with a 1.4-liter OHV or 1.6-liter OHV gasoline inline-four engine . Engines produced from 53 to 60 horsepower (40 to 45 kW) (subsequently 53 to 70 horsepower (40 to 52 kW)), driving

11136-436: The upscale DL models included 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. Sales were limited by the availability of only two body styles. American Motors' had several 4-door Alliances converted into stretch limousines for publicity and official use. American Motors introduced

11252-416: The use of multi port injection. This four-cylinder was upgraded with the latest electronics that included an electronically controlled fuel system, a digital ignition system, and a microprocessor to manage the optional three-speed automatic transmission. Although Renault transmissions have been equipped with Renix based electronics and sensor assemblies, the all-new electronic controlled transmission system in

11368-785: The vehicle included a 10.2 second mark for 0 to 60 mph and a .89  g-force cornering rating in road tests conducted by Car and Driver magazine. The GTA used the same uni-body as the two-door Alliances, but was distinctive to the other models. It was available only in silver, white, red, or black monochrome body paint with special color-keyed "ground effects" bodyside cladding styled by Zender of West Germany, one of Europe's leading after-market designers. It also featured 15-inch aluminum alloy sport wheels with low-profile Michelin Sport XGT 195-VR50 series tires, upgraded suspension with thicker sway bars , vented front disc brakes, larger exhaust pipe, optional driving lights, custom body moldings,

11484-462: The vehicles shared GM's T platform. With the well-known problems of its predecessor, the Vega , which included production issues, reliability problems, and a serious propensity for corrosion, the team reworked the international platform such that the Chevette shared not a single body panel with another T-car and reworked the underbody extensively to enhance corrosion protection. The Chevette's 1.4-liter base iron-block engine weighed 59 lb less than

11600-408: Was a sporting version of the hatchback called the 1.6 SR (with a mere four more horsepower, achieved by a somewhat higher compression ratio). In 1983, the Chevette received a thorough facelift with rectangular headlights, with the turn signals located underneath the headlights, a flatter hood, and a single-piece grille. The dash was also new, as were ventilation windows in the front doors. Mechanically,

11716-468: Was added to replace the THM-200 series automatic. An "HO" (high output) version was available in addition to the standard 1.6-liter, featuring a modified head and a larger valves-cam profile. The HO package also included a dual-outlet exhaust manifold. Prices were dropped and more standard equipment was added for 1978. Air conditioning, radial tires, an AM/FM radio, and power brakes were optional. In 1979,

11832-699: Was also available with a V6 engine, and the Gremlin was also available with I6 and V8 engines). The Pontiac Astre , the Canadian-originated re-badged Vega variant was released in the U.S. in September 1974. Due to falling sales of the larger pony cars (such as the Chevrolet Camaro and first-generation Ford Mustang) in the mid-1970s, the Vega-based Chevrolet Monza was introduced as an upscale subcompact and

11948-534: Was also dropped to $ 4,995. Sales fell to just over 46,000 units, and production ended on December 23, 1986. In 1978, General Motors Advanced Engineering developed a concept car, the Electrovette, based on the Chevette, but using an electric motor powered by lead-acid batteries. It was a strict two-seater and sat on a shortened wheelbase, with the batteries mounted in the rear. The car had a range of about 50 mi (80 km) at 30 mph (48 km/h), and

12064-711: Was co-developed by Opel and Isuzu in 1973. The first T-car model produced was the Brazilian Chevrolet Chevette released in the same year. Six months later the Opel Kadett C was released in Europe. Worldwide, GM manufactured and marketed more than 7 million T-cars – either as rebadged models or locally-built versions in different countries. T-car variants were sold internationally as the Pontiac Acadian in Canada; Pontiac T1000/1000 in

12180-559: Was concerned with an upcoming election at a time when Renault not only lost its number one automaker spot in Europe, but was also losing money. Moreover, while Georges Besse championed the opportunities in the North American market, Renault executives and labor leaders perceived AMC as a bottomless pit. On 9 March 1987, Chrysler agreed to buy Renault's share in AMC, plus all the remaining shares, for about US$ 1.5 billion (US$ 4,022,847,100 in 2023 dollars) and AMC's operations became

12296-641: Was described as "dandy little sports car" and a "pocket rocket" defined as a low-priced "car based on high production economy but with emphasis placed on appearance, performance and handling." It replicated what Volkswagen had done when the Rabbit was upgraded into the GTI. The GTA was available in 2-door sedan or convertible versions, with a single powerplant: a 2.0 L fuel-injected 4-cylinder engine. At 4900 rpm with premium U.S. gasoline, this engine developed 95 hp (71 kW; 96 PS). Driving performance of

12412-662: Was first launched by General Motors (Brazil) in 1973 as a two-door sedan. A four-door sedan followed in April 1978, and then a three-door hatchback was added in November 1979. The hatchback had unique bodywork for Latin America, longer than the European Kadett City and with a notch at the base à la the period Ford Escort . A three-door station wagon version, called the Marajó in Brazil, was added in September 1980, as

12528-415: Was fully independent via MacPherson struts in front, while the rear had a compact and ingenious system of transverse torsion bars and trailing arms . 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 it

12644-590: Was launched into the U.S. subcompact market segment against the Chevrolet Chevette / Pontiac 1000 , Ford Escort / Mercury Lynx , Toyota Corolla E70 , Volkswagen Rabbit , Chrysler twins Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon , Mazda GLC , Subaru DL , Nissan Sentra , and Honda Civic . 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 marketed as

12760-453: Was led with great vigor by Fritz Lohr, who faced a lot of resistance at Opel and in the USA, as it required high investment, but without which Opel would have succumbed in the 70s/80s. The most curious thing about this story is that Lohr's specialty was chassis. But the three Brazilians, Francisco Satkunas, Pedro Manuchakian and I, actively participated in this project, with Pedro also taking care of

12876-415: Was listed as number one on Car and Driver 's list of Ten Best cars for 1983. The magazine's editors wrote that it "represents a blending of compact dimensions, surprising creature comfort, excellent fuel economy, good looks and very pleasing over-the-road behavior." They noted, "if we were some other magazine , this would be our car of the year." The American-built, French-designed, Renault Alliance had

12992-491: Was removed from the wiring harness. In 1984, the low-cost Scooter model was discontinued, but kept for Chevettes made for Canada. The T1000 was renamed Pontiac 1000 in 1983 both in the U.S. and Canada. The 1985 models carried few updates from the 1984 models. In 1986, the Chevette base model was discontinued, leaving only the CS and the S, which featured a third brake light , an instrument cluster "service engine soon" light, replacing

13108-413: Was 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 seats—where each 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,

13224-566: Was successful, and while relatively underpowered with its "fuel sipping" 1.4 L engine, the Alliance's "excellent" ride and handling compared to the other small cars sold in America at the time, was an advantage that contributed to establishing the Alliance Cup in 1983. Modifications to the showroom stock cars were limited to fitting a roll cage , free flow exhaust, upgraded shock absorbers , as well as wider rims and tires. The Alliance provided many donor parts (engine and suspension) for

13340-647: Was the Chevy 500 pickup. After 1983, all Chevettes in Chile were imported from Brazil. When catalytic converters were made a requirement in that country, GMB was unable to develop such an engine and the Chevette was withdrawn from the Chilean market after the 1992 model year. Around 1.6 million units were built in Brazil, with the Corsa replacing the Junior and the Chevrolet Kadett/Ipanema replacing

13456-600: Was to build its newer models at AMC's existing manufacturing plants, thus avoiding the problems Volkswagen encountered with its "Rabbit" version of the Mk1 Golf assembled in its new factory in Westmoreland , Pennsylvania. The two automakers worked closely as each design studio developed spin-offs of cars created by the other. Richard Teague, AMC's Vice President of Design, and his French counterpart, Robert Opron, director of Renault Styling, each traveled between France and

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