Title: Why American Motors Failed: The Full Story | TheThings
Headings: Why American Motors Failed: The Full Story
Why American Motors Failed: The Full Story
13 Compact Cars At The Wrong Time
12 1965 AMC Marlin Problems
11 Foreign Competition
10 Inefficient Manufacturing
9 AMX Did Not Sell
8 Renault Partnership
7 Poor Reliability Perception
6 Jeep Ownership
5 AMC Pacer Expenses
4 Design Issues
3 Lack of Partnerships
2 Ford and GM Competition
1 Lackluster Advertising
Next: 15 Facts About AMC And Their Beloved Muscle Cars

Content: This was a good niche for the company, however, by the early 1960s, consumer demand for larger cars exploded, and American Motors was not ready to take advantage of it. 12 1965 AMC Marlin Problems
Via Mecum
The success in 1964 of the Pontiac GTO and Ford Mustang caught the other automakers by surprise, and American Motors was no different. While Dodge and Plymouth went to the designers, American Motors decided to rush a car to the market in 1965. The Marlin was basically a Rambler Ambassador with a fastback added, and consumers were not impressed. By 1967, it was out of production. 11 Foreign Competition
Via Mecum
The Rambler was a fairly successful car for American Motors, but by the late 1960s, small foreign imports were becoming extremely popular in the U.S. Despite their higher costs due to tariffs, they had the design and features consumers were looking for. Instead of creative new small car offerings, American Motors pretty much stuck with what had been successful previously, not realizing how the market was trending. 10 Inefficient Manufacturing
Via WikiMedia
By the 1970s, the manufacturing processes were starting to impact the bottom line. Most of the facilities were inherited from the Nash-Hudson merger and spread out all over the upper midwest. Many of the factories had not been updated since the 1950s and car parts and pieces had to be shipped long distances for assembly.