1986 AMC Model Lineup Updates
It was a best of times/worst of times situation at AMC/Jeep/Renault in 1986. Three years after its French-designed, American made Alliance, sales of the Alliance and the entire Renault division slipped noticeably. Yet two years after its Jeep Cherokee ran away with all major “4×4 of the Year” awards, record sales of the entire Cherokee/Wagoneer line pushed the downsized utility wagon to the top of the charts in its class, far outdistancing its Ford, Chevy, and Japanese competition.
AMC had long been collared with a Jekyll and Hyde image of extreme highs and lows, offering classics(CJ) and clinkers (Pacer), with little in between. For 1986 the good times/bad times scenario would amplify in both directions by an entry list that included few major alterations to the Alliance, Encore, and Sportwagon, yet featured an all new Cherokee inspired downsized pickup that would surely impact the small-truck market.
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