The Premier's powertrains were covered by a 7-year, 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." Model years 1988 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 Eagle nameplates on its trunk lid, and the Eagle division had to indicate this difference in its dealer information brochures and videos. Prior to 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