Eagle (automobile)

This article is about the automotive brand from Chrysler. For the American motorsport team, see All American Racers. For the car model from AMC, see AMC Eagle. For other uses, see Eagle (disambiguation).

Eagle
Product typePassenger and sports cars, luxury sedans
OwnerChrysler Corporation
Produced byChrysler Corporation
(1988–1998)
Introduced1988
DiscontinuedJuly 4, 1999; 25 years ago (1999-07-04)
Related brandsChrysler, Dodge
MarketsU.S.

Eagle was a brand of the Chrysler Corporation following the purchase of American Motors Corporation (AMC) in 1987 and marketed through the end of the 1998 model year. It was aimed at the enthusiast driver and promoted as more "European" than the automaker's similar models.[1]

Chrysler took the "Eagle" name from the four-wheel drive AMC Eagle models that were introduced for the 1980 model year.[2][3] This was the last of American Motors' wholly U.S.-designed vehicles and (arguably) one of the first modern mass-production crossover vehicles. The Eagle name also appeared on several Jeep trim packages and unique models that included the J-10 pickup trucks, the wide-track Cherokee SJ, as well as the CJ-5 and CJ-7 models starting in 1976.[4][5] American Motors also launched an entirely new front-wheel-drive sedan, the Eagle Premier that was developed with Renault, AMC's French partner before Chrysler purchased AMC.[6]

Various imported and domestic-built vehicles were marketed, primarily by former AMC dealers along with Jeep products, until the brand was discontinued in 1998. The 1993 through 1997 Eagle Vision sedan sold in respectable numbers, with 115,699 built, while the sporty Eagle Talons were made in two generations from 1990 until 1998, with more than 200,000 produced.[7][8] Most significantly, the Eagle Premier was the basis for Chrysler's successful series of "LH" models that were introduced for 1993.[9]

  1. ^ Auto Editors of Consumer Guide (June 18, 2007). "How Eagle Cars Work". auto.howstuffworks.com. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  2. ^ Radu, Vlad (September 7, 2021). "AMC Eagle: One of the Most Influential Yet Underrated American-Built Vehicles of All Time". autoevolution.com. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  3. ^ "1998 Eagle Talon Prices". NADA guides. Archived from the original on January 23, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2024. A division of Chrysler formed in 1987, Eagle was spawned from the buyout of American Motors and their AMC Eagle model.
  4. ^ McKeown, Bill (June 1977). "New rigs for rough action". Popular Mechanics. Vol. 147, no. 6. pp. 77 and 167. Retrieved May 4, 2024 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Allen, Jim (2004). Jeep Collector's Library. MotorBooks International. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-61059-054-9. Retrieved May 4, 2024 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "1988 Eagle Premier ES: Chrysler's Euro-Sedan Is A Pleasant Surprise". Car and Driver. April 1988. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  7. ^ Wilson, Gerard (November 16, 2020). "Eagle Production Numbers, US and Canada". Allpar. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  8. ^ Trajano, Robin (October 21, 2019). "The Eagle Talon TSi AWD Is an Underappreciated Classic". Motor Trend. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  9. ^ Lewis, Corey (August 23, 2021). "Rare Rides: The Eagle Premier Story, Part VI (The End)". thetruthaboutcars.com. Retrieved May 4, 2024.