Eagle Premier: История американского автомобиля с европейскими корнями.

Car produced by American Motors Corporation and Chrysler

The Eagle Premier is a full size executive car that was developed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) during the 1980s through its partnership with Renault. This model was manufactured in the then brand new Brampton Assembly in Canada. Chrysler Corporation bought the rights to the Premier when it acquired Renault's outstanding shares in AMC in 1987, and began selling the car under the new Eagle marque. The four door sedan was manufactured from September 1987 (for the 1988 model year) until December 1991 (for the 1992 model year). A rebadged variant was also marketed as the Dodge Monaco from 1990 to 1992.

In 1982 American Motors and Renault, a major shareholder in AMC since 1979, began work on a new downsized full size front drive passenger car, code named X 58, for introduction in late 1986. A companion two door coupe, code named X 59, was to debut for the 1988 model year. These two body styles were to be the first full size cars sold by AMC since the 1978 AMC Matador to re position the automaker with a broader product offering in the marketplace. Using the Renault 25 chassis the suspension was derived from the Renault Medallion (Renault 21). The suspension featured a four wheel independent system with MacPherson struts at the front wheels and two torsion bars at each rear wheel, with stabilizer bars in both front and rear. The exterior by Giorgetto Giugiaro's Italdesign was picked over other concepts generated by AMC's styling department and other independent firms. The Premier's body's drag coefficient of 0.31 is slightly lower (more efficient) than the 1986 Ford Taurus that was well known for its aerodynamic shape. The Premier's body was finished using a baked enamel clearcoat for all the available colors. The body was covered by a 7 year, 100000 mile (160934 km) warranty. The car's trunk capacity was also large, offering of cargo space. The Eagle also featured new technology to improve the luminous efficiency of its headlamp system, afford greater styling freedom, and have a rectangular frontal aspect. The 1988 Eagle Premier was one of the first cars featuring Valeo headlamps with nonparabolic, complex surface reflector headlamps with optic lenses. Stretched in all dimensions, the Premier provided more interior room than any of its contemporaries. The interior was an all new design by AMC's in house staff under the direction of Dick Teague. It also included features that were considered unique at the time. The instrument panel featured "a heavy dose of electronics", with all driver controls housed within a fingertip distance from the steering wheel. It used an unusual dash mounted gear selector with a thin metal lever at the end which was a grip handle; instead, if the gear selector shifted downward in the traditional fashion, the lever dropped into the dash pod in which it was mounted. The climate controls used an unusual up down button that cycled through the different heating modes, indicated by an array of lights. All of these controls were housed in a control panel on the right side of the steering column. On the left side of the column, another control contained the light and windshield wiper controls. The turn signal control was also electronic returning to its centered position immediately after a driver signaled a turn, and a gong indicated its cancellation after completing a turn. Standard on all Premiers was an electronically tuned stereo sound system. There was a choice of two powertrains. Eschewing the Renault 25's French built four cylinder engines, the base Premier LX trim featured a standard 2.5 L AMC four cylinder engine. Featuring electronically controlled throttle body fuel injection, it developed a peak power output of and of torque at 1400 rpm. This engine was coupled to a new electronically controlled four speed automatic gearbox, developed by ZF Friedrichshafen. Fuel economy for the base model was EPA estimated at in the city and on the highway, giving it a 527 mile (848 km) cruising range with the gas tank. Optional in the LX and standard in ES models was a 3.0 L version of the Peugeot Renault Volvo (PRV) V6 engine, fitted with multiple port fuel injection, producing peak power and torque figures of at 5000 rpm and at 3570 rpm. Fuel efficiency of the V6 was rated at for the city and on the highway. Factory acceleration estimates from standstill to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) were 11.5 seconds with the four cylinder, and 10 seconds with the six. The Premier's powertrains were covered by a 7 year, 70000 mile (112654 km) warranty, which was longer than offered by any of the competitors at the time. Developed by AMC, which was "the Big Three's little sister with almost no resources, and fighting a vastly superior enemy", Bob Lutz, then a vice president at Chrysler, wrote that the Premier sedan as one of the "impressive succession of new products" that Chrysler gained from acquiring the small automaker. The Eagle Premier replaced the so called "Liberty car" that Chrysler had been developing as the basis of its future cars for many years, but was experiencing problems with this major project. The Eagle Premier was described as "a world class car" by automotive journalists, in addition to its international origins with an Italian design and Canadian assembly. "Considered by some the most sophisticated car in Chrysler's lineup", the Eagle Premier offers an "incredible 122 cubic feet of interior room; almost unheard of for a mid sized passenger car" along with "European handling". The Premier was "final offspring of the AMC Renault marriage" and the new car entered the marketplace "well endowed in just about every department. It has the most powerful conventional engines in its field, state of the art electronics with a first ever feature, and is made in the newest assembly plant in the world." Road test by Car and Driver described the new "Euro sedan" as competitive, a "pleasant surprise," "with a dash of weirdness," and concluded that "it's a sure bet to scare hell out of its competition."

The Eagle Premier was launched in January 1988, with the first production models rolling off the assembly line on September 28, 1987. Although the car is sometimes referred to as a Renault Premier, this car was never marketed anywhere in the world as a Renault. Pre production prototypes left the factory with Renault emblems on their grille and wheel covers, but had an Eagle nameplate on the trunk lids. The Eagle marketing department had to indicate this difference in its dealer information brochures and videos. Before its January 1988 launch, all pre production cars had the Renault emblem removed from the grille and steering column horn hub pad. Depending on which stereo system was ordered, one would find either a Renault or Eagle emblem in the car through 1989 on the stereo. It was to have been the first body style in a series of three, along with a four door station wagon and a two door coupe. After Chrysler purchased Renault's stake (46%) in AMC and all other outstanding stock (54%), the wagon and coupe body styles were canceled as was a planned Premier DL model featuring a five speed manual gearbox. The interior of the LX featured standard six passenger seating, with reclining 55/45 split front bench seats along with a rear seat that included a fold down center armrest. Map pockets were standard in the front seatbacks. The standard four speed automatic transmissions were operated using a column shifter. The ES models included lower bodyside cladding, a firmer suspension, and larger "touring" tires, as well as individual front bucket seats with adjustable see through headrests and a full length console with center armrest. The ES models had seating for five adults. The front bucket seats were optional in the LX, and a console mounted gear shift was optional in both the LX and ES. The Premier was highlighted in Chrysler's broad product line as being "shaped right" in its being the most aerodynamic sedan built in North America and offering "an American car with European sophistication and handling."

The second model year the Premier saw almost no other changes except for the addition of cruise control and the mid year introduction of an ES Limited model featuring monochromatic paint and body colored trim. During 1989 sales in the Japanese market began as the Chrysler Premier ES; only a single version was available, fitted with the 3 liter V6 engine and the four speed automatic transmission. Claimed maximum power is ; sales ended during 1990. While sold as a Chrysler and given the model code E6U, the Eagle badging remained unchanged from the North American model. The only visible changes were indicator lights on the front fenders and the incorporation of amber turn signals into the rear lights to meet local requirements. The "sporty" two door companion model that was announced by Iacocca for this model year to "get the Eagle soaring" with new products and a "brand personality that's unique and exciting and upscale" was not released. The four cylinder engine was officially dropped from the lineup, with the V6 remaining as the sole engine. The new safety feature came standard on the ES Limited and was optional on other models. The Limited model received a new front grille and rear tail lamp assemblies. The marketplace saw a downturn and all automakers began offering incentives to move inventory. At the beginning of the year, supplies of the Eagle Premier climbed up to 222 days and Chrysler gave a $1,000 discount to dealers on the invoice price, a $1,500 rebate to purchasers, and a $2,000 incentive to the dealer per car after their fourth sale. An ES Limited model listing for $19,978 was only $15,478 after the marketing incentives.

The Eagle brand targeted consumers that would not typically include purchasing an American sedan, "but would have instead sought out a Volvo or an Audi." The "upscale" Premier was the flagship of the new Eagle division at Chrysler and in the same class "as cars like the Audi 5000, roomy, understated and elegantly turned out." The fully independent suspension on all the wheels made for better ride quality and handling characteristics, as did the rack and pinion steering design. "The Premier was for its size, the lightest car that Chrysler built at the time [with a shipping weight of ], the stiffest (torsionally), and the best riding almost of wheel travel vs. 4.5 for the K cars that underpinned every Chrysler car then available. It benefited from decades of Renault experience with front wheel drive, and a good example will still impress even today." The engineering levels achieved in the Premier are arguably the most refined in a sedan that was then produced by AMC or Chrysler. The original projections were to have annual production of 150,000 Premiers. Magna International had signed a contract in 1986 to supply body panels for the Premiers. As a result, the automotive supplier received $10 million in grants from the governments of both Canada and Ontario to expand the metal stamping plant in Milton, Ontario. Critics have argued that Chrysler did not properly market the Premier, having confused its intended market. ES models were compared directly with the Audi 80, Acura Legend, and similar 'import' sedans, while LX models were aimed at a lower tier market competing against the Ford Taurus and GM A platform cars (Buick Century, Chevrolet Celebrity, Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera). Chrysler also ended up with six different brands after the purchase of AMC, just one less than GM, which was four times as large an automaker. Not only could Chrysler not afford to properly promote and advertise each of its brands, but it also faced the legacy of failure by French cars in the United States. The AMC logo was featured on many of the car's components through to the end of production. The introduction of a rebadged model named Dodge Monaco resulted from a contractual obligation to use 260,000 of the PRV engines over five years, a clause in the AMC buyout from Renault. The Monaco sold in low numbers, and both it and the Premier were canceled in 1992. There was little marketing support for the Premier by the Jeep Eagle dealers themselves because they were focused on selling the highly successful and more profitable Jeep models. Furthermore, the decision to eventually combine Jeep Eagle with Chrysler Plymouth dealers called for the long term corporate goal of phasing out the Eagle brand. There were 139,051 Premiers and Monacos built at Bramalea. Chrysler paid a penalty for every car not produced and V6 engine not purchased from Renault. The LH platform's dedicated transmission, the A606, was also quite similar in design to the electronically controlled automatic featured in four cylinder Premiers. The Premier's body shell was used for LH prototype development mules, under which the LH drivetrain was tested. Although only a four door sedan, the Premier could be a "future classic" according to an automotive journalist, Dan Roth, as "one of the best American cars of the last 20 years, able to hold its own against luxury European marques, and being a caretaker of the last AMC car (Jeeps aren't cars!) would be a responsibility we'd relish."