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AMC Concord

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AMC Concord

The AMC Concord is a compact car manufactured and marketed by the American Motors Corporation for model years 1978 through 1983. The Concord was essentially a revision of the AMC Hornet that was discontinued after 1977, but better equipped, quieter, and smoother-riding than the series it replaced. It was offered in four-door sedan, two-door coupe (through 1982), three-door hatchback (through 1979), and four-door station wagon with a rear liftgate. The Concord was AMC's volume seller from the time it appeared until the introduction of the Renault Alliance.

The car was available as a sports-oriented two-door hatchback AMX model without any "Concord" badges or identification for the 1978 model year, as well as the Concord Sundancer convertible during 1981 and 1982, an authorized conversion sold through AMC dealers.

Vehiculos Automotores Mexicanos (VAM) assembled and marketed modified Concord versions in Mexico as the VAM American, including a unique VAM Lerma model.

A battery electric (BEV) conversion of the Concord station wagon was sold independently from AMC by Solargen during 1979 and 1980.

American Motors did not have the financial resources required to develop an entirely new car to replace its successful, but aging, Hornet. The competition was expected from the new Ford Fox platform (also introduced for the 1978 model year as the Fairmont and Zephyr). The rear-wheel drive GM A platform (RWD) intermediates, such as the Chevrolet Malibu, were to be downsized to the same 108-inch (2,743 mm) wheelbase as the Hornet for the 1978 model year as well, following the previous shrinking of full-size GM models. Therefore, the smallest domestic American automaker needed something fresh to continue competing in a class that had long been their core market segment. The 1978 Concord offered slightly revised styling, a higher level of appointments and features as well as a greater emphasis on workmanship and quality that was prompted by the growing success of cars imported from Japan. The transformation of the old Hornet into the new 1978 Concord included positioning the new model as an upscale luxury compact with a competitive starting price in the mid-US$4,000 range (adjusted only for inflation equivalent to US$19,284 in 2024 dollars).

The U.S. automobile industry has had a place "for a small company deft enough to exploit special market segments left untended by the giants" and under the leadership of "Gerald C. Meyers, AMC transformed the austere old Hornet into the more handsome Concord." Dick Teague, AMC's top car designer, utilized the facelifted 1977 Gremlin's front fenders with a new hood over a chrome six-section egg-crate grille incorporating white rectangular parking lights, as well as new rectangular headlights, bumpers, fiberglass rear fender end caps, rectangular tri-color taillights, and a stand-up hood ornament with a new Concord emblem. On cars with the optional D/L package, the roof featured an outlined quarter-vinyl cover in matching or contrasting colors.

The new model featured increased sound insulation and suspension upgrades to isolate the interior from vibration and noise. The new compact car's luxury ride - "aiming at a virtually noiseless boulevard ride" was engineered by isolating the front suspension and rear axle from the structure of the car. All Concord models included special insulation in the dashboard and front floor, as well as sound-deadening coatings to all areas where plastic components joined. Top models also came with molded fiberglass acoustical headlining and sound absorption pads behind all interior panels.

The Concord also came with numerous standard comfort and upscale features, gaining an inch (25.4 mm) of rear-seat headroom, as well as two additional inches (50.8 mm) of rear passenger legroom. An advantage of using the aging and heavy Hornet design was its body stiffness and safety performance. Crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) showed the probability of injury in a struck vehicle to range from a low of nine percent for the four-door AMC Concord to a high of 97 percent for the two-door Nissan Sentra.

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