Eagle Medallion

The Renault 21 was introduced in Europe in 1986 to compete in the large family-size market, such as the VW Passat. Its design was the work of Giorgetto Giugiaro. Modified to meet United States requirements for safety and emissions, as well as being rebadged as the Medallion, it became a captive import for Renault's corporate partner, American Motors Corporation (AMC). It went on sale on 1 March 1987 as a 1988 model and filled the market segment gap for AMC/Renault dealers following the slow-selling Renault 18i/Sportwagon and the venerable AMC Concord. Both the 18i sedan and Concord had been discontinued after the 1983 model year, while the Sportwagon version of the 18i was marketed through 1986. Therefore, from 1984 until 1987, AMC/Renault dealers offered no sedan larger than the small C-segment Alliance. The larger D-segment Medallion sedan was thus important to dealers by offering a broader product line to buyers. The Medallion was an Americanized version of the Renault 21, "a highly successful car in the European market." The Medallion was the second entry in a three-model marketing effort to expand market coverage for AMC/Jeep/Renault dealers beyond the four-wheel-drive Jeep utility vehicles. The first product in that plan was the C-segment Renault Alliance that launched for the 1983 model year, while the third was the E-segment Eagle Premier, which launched ten months after the D-segment Medallion. AMC/Renault was planning to sell between 40,000 and 45,000 Medallions annually. Badged as the Renault Medallion at its press launch in the winter of 1986, retail sales began on 1 March 1987 - just eight days before Chrysler agreed to buy Renault's shares in American Motors - as an early 1988 model. The Medallion retained its Renault branding after the Chrysler buyout, through the end of the 1988 model year, despite Chrysler's formation of the Jeep/Eagle Division in the fall of 1987. The Medallion was launched as a 1988 Renault model before Chrysler's buyout of AMC and before the separate Eagle marque existed. The new corporate owner waited until the beginning of the 1989 model year to rebrand the Medallion as an Eagle - Chrysler's first new brand since 1955, to avoid selling the Medallion under both the Renault and Eagle nameplates during 1988. As an Eagle, the cars did not include Chrysler's "Pentastar" logo, but prominently featured the Eagle head logo. The cars were marketed as "Eagle Medallion" for the 1989 model year and sold through the newly formed Jeep-Eagle division. As a distinct Chrysler subsidiary, the nearly 1,200 AMC-Jeep-Renault dealer organization would initially remain independent. As part of the buyout, Chrysler would continue AMC's program for U.S. distribution of the new Renault Medallion for five years, but not to sell the originally contracted number of the French imports. ==Design==

The Medallion was built in Maubeuge using the platform of the European market Renault 21, and imported from France. However, Audi, SAAB, and Subaru used longitudinal engines with front-wheel-drive in this era, as well. It was unusual that Renault designed the R21 to use transverse-mounted sub-2 liter engines, and longitudinal engines over 2 liters, which included all Medallion versions. Renault did this for two reasons: 1) The larger, more powerful engines required stronger gearboxes that could not be made to fit into the transaxle assembly typical to transverse powertrains, and 2) The longitudinal engine/transmission layout allowed Renault to use equal-length half-shafts from a centrally mounted gearbox, which reduced torque steering that would have otherwise been brought on by the increased power generated by the larger engines. The longitudinal engine R21s and Medallions thus had slightly shorter wheelbases than the transverse engine R21s. Product plans also called for a four-wheel drive Medallion to be imported in late-1988. All Medallions had an aluminum overhead cam I4 engine with Bendix multi-point fuel injection. The engine was rated at at 5000 rpm and at 2500 rpm, achieving United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel economy ratings of: : highway, city, combined, with the manual transmission, and : highway, city, combined, with the automatic. The Medallion featured four-wheel independent suspension with MacPherson struts in the front with negative offset for stability and inclined lower wishbones for anti-dive effect, while the rear suspension is controlled by a V-section cross-member with four transverse torsion bars and inclined shock absorbers. The interior of the Medallion was spacious compared to similar cars in the compact segment, which AMC compared it to. The total volume index of the sedan was rated at . The sedan was also notable for its rather commodious trunk. The station wagon was typically French in design, built on a longer wheelbase than the sedan. The wagon was rated at passenger area and of cargo volume behind the second row of seats. such as in the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser and Ford Freestyle. ==Model years==

1988 Medallion sedans were offered in base DL and uplevel LX sedans, as well as a DL wagon, for the long 1988 model year. Standard equipment on all Medallions included a tachometer, digital clock, AM/FM stereo, tinted glass, tilt steering wheel, power steering, power brakes, and a driver's seat-height adjuster for the reclining front seats. Exterior styling showed many unusual features, including slightly skirted rear wheel arches, fixed chromed door handles with hidden squeeze-type actuators, and a decklid that wrapped over the tops of the rear fenders. At the front, the Medallion featured flush-mounted composite headlamps - a first for an AMC vehicle - mounted on either side of a flush grille with 3 horizontal black bars and a prominent Renault diamond logo. Medallion DL sedans offered a different taillight lens pattern than uplevel LX sedans did, with smoked clear reflector lenses continuing inward from the Medallion's reversing lights, and surrounding the upper portion of the decklid-mounted rear license plate depression. The LX sedans showed red lenses in this area instead. A power sunroof option on LX models was available later in the 1988 model year. Medallion station wagons had a longer wheelbase, and rear doors were much longer than those of their sedan counterpart, to improve optional third seat ingress and egress. While unusual for its class in the North American market, the wagon's uniquely longer wheelbase (more than longer than the much larger Eagle Premier's) was in keeping with French station wagon tradition to maximize interior space for passengers or cargo. This design was also used on the competing Peugeot 504 and 505. The new Renault Medallion station wagon was reviewed by ''Kiplinger's Personal Finance'' magazine as "surprisingly comfortable, with a load of standard features for its relatively modest $10,693 base price." The "powerful engine allows it to whiz through city traffic with ease" and the wagon's interior was "spartan," but "spacious and comfortable." A week-long review of an automatic transmission equipped 1988 Medallion by The Milwaukee Sentinel described it as an "eye-appealing alternative for those shopping for a compact four-door sedan" offering "peppy" performance with an engine that "purred contently at highway speeds" while offering a smooth ride in both the city and on the highway returning an actual combined fuel economy, but the sedan's low weight at , was criticized as too light on open roads in the wind and the insulation to reduce road noise seemed inadequate. A long-term test by Popular Mechanics found the Medallion "low on flash, high on comfort" especially on long-distance journeys and along the roughest roads in New York City, and the editors came to regard it as a "pretty nice car." Other automotive guides recommended the Medallion for its comfortable ride and interior roominess, as well as summarizing that Chrysler does not "have a domestic model in this category that's quite as nice." The 1989 Medallions were also covered by Chrysler's new "7/70 Protection Plan" that was a comprehensive warranty on the entire vehicle for seven years or . The rear of the 1989 Medallions now featured an "imported for Eagle" badge and the terms of the AMC buyout included the continued sales of Renault-built cars in the U.S. However, Chrysler decided to cease importing the Medallions from Renault at the end of the 1989 model year. This also ended the potential revival of a four-wheel-drive Eagle station wagon. ==Marketing==

The Eagle name came from the innovative all-wheel drive AMC Eagle line, but the Medallion was a standard passenger car and its sales were also hindered by marketing missteps. Automotive reviews of the Medalion were favorable, but the model was hindered by poor launch into the North American market because of AMC's limited marketing resources. The Medallion was also overshadowed by numerous domestic and imported competitors "that were far easier to sell customers into if they were in the market for a sedan or station wagon of this size." This reflects the struggles with the Medallion line launched just before Renault exited from U.S. market and that Chrysler only wanted to continue sales of highly profitable Jeep models. The Medallion was ranked as "a damn good car — winning numerous accolades and enjoying a 9-year model run outside the States." Robert Lutz, the head of the Chrysler Corporation at the time, said in his 2003 book Guts that the Medallion, and its larger linemate, the Premier were "sales proof" in that no matter how attractive and competitive the cars were, customers in large enough number to ensure success would not take notice. Chrysler was focused on "import intenders," rather than working with an independent Renault. As a result, the Eagle models became badge engineered cars sourced from its Japanese partner, Mitsubishi Motors, a relationship it had since 1971. In 1986, Honda introduced their luxury brand Acura with the Acura Legend and Acura Integra thereby further competing in a crowded market segment. The smaller Eagle Summit made by Mitsubishi was also marketed by Jeep-Eagle dealers, primarily for Alliance and Encore owners to trade into. The imported Medallion also competed with Chrysler's numerous domestic Dodge, Plymouth, and Chrysler models. In Canada, the Medallion was replaced by the Mitsubishi Galant-based Eagle 2000GTX. ==References==