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American Motors facts for kids

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American Motors Corporation
Industry Automotive
Fate Discontinued
(renamed Jeep Eagle Corporation 1988, merged into Chrysler 1990)
Successor Chrysler
AM General
FCA (since 2014)
Founded May 1, 1954; 71 years ago (1954-05-01)
Defunct June 20, 1988; 36 years ago (1988-06-20)
Headquarters Southfield, Michigan, U.S.
Products
  • Automobiles
  • Military vehicles
  • Buses and delivery vehicles
  • Sport utility vehicles
  • Major home appliances
  • Commercial refrigeration
  • Lawn care products

American Motors Corporation (AMC) was a famous American car company. It was created on May 1, 1954. This happened when two companies, Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company, joined together. At that time, it was the biggest company merger in U.S. history!

AMC became a competitor to the "Big Three" car makers in the U.S. These were Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. AMC made many different kinds of cars.

Cool Cars and New Ideas

AMC was known for its smaller cars. Some popular models were the Rambler American, Hornet, Gremlin, and Pacer. They also made bigger cars like the AMC Ambassador and AMC Matador.

For those who loved speed, AMC had "muscle cars." These included the Marlin, AMX, and Javelin. AMC also made early versions of the AMC Eagle. This was one of the first true crossover vehicles in the U.S. market. A crossover is a car that mixes features of an SUV and a regular car.

AMC tried to stay ahead of its rivals. In the 1960s, they brought out new ideas. They did this long before the "Big Three" did. While other companies made bigger cars, AMC's leader, George W. Romney, focused on compact cars. These cars used less fuel. This was a smart move, even though fuel efficiency wasn't a big concern for most people until much later.

In 1959, AMC told its shareholders that smaller cars would become very popular. They thought that by 1963, about 3 million small cars would be sold in the U.S.

AMC also looked into cars that didn't use gasoline. On April 1, 1959, AMC worked with Sonotone Corporation. They explored making an electric car. This car was planned to have a special "self-charging" battery.

Where AMC Was Based

From 1954 to 1975, AMC's main office was in Detroit. It was located at 14250 Plymouth Road. People often called it the Plymouth Road Office Center (PROC).

In 1975, AMC moved its headquarters. They built a new building in Southfield, Michigan. This new home was called the American Center.

The End of AMC

After some ups and downs, a French car company called Renault bought a large part of AMC in 1979. Later, in 1987, Chrysler bought AMC completely.

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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: American Motors Corporation para niños

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