Fighting Back: The 1965-66 Rambler Classic Story

摘要

During the early Sixties, America's Big Three automakers robbed the term "compact car" of its original meaning. In doing so, they hurt American Motors more than most people have realized. In reaction, AMC drifted for a while, losing sales along with much of the goodwill and fine reputation it had built since 1957. It also convinced AMC's president to alter the company's product plans and undertake an extremely expensive investment in new products to counter increased competitive pressures. Heavy expenditures on new products, matched with weak sales, exerted downward pressure on AMC profits. That made some buyers question the firm's viability, which caused sales to drop even further, spawning a sort of death spiral that almost killed the company. The first car to arrive as a direct result of this challenging situation was the 1965 Rambler Classic.