Fernando Alonso Say He Will Return to Indianapolis

"For Sweden" (rallybeetle) 06/01/2017 at 11:38 • Filed to: Fernando Alsonso, Renault, Nissan, Indycar, Hmmm

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There are also rumors he will soon drive for Renault. He will need an engine for Indianapolis. Hmmm.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > For Sweden 06/01/2017 at 11:42

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This could be the perfect opportunity for Renault and Nissan to partner to relaunch AMC. Or not, because that’s a crazy thing that only exists in my brain.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > For Sweden 06/01/2017 at 11:47

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I’m sure that Alonzo would have an in with Andretti without the need for support from an engine supplier.

For Sweden > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 06/01/2017 at 11:52

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Alonso: I want to skip Monaco to drive a Honda

Renault: LOL

duurtlang > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 06/01/2017 at 12:09

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Would there be a market niche for AMC? Like Dacia; a budget brand? I guess they’ve got Nissan for that in the US. Something entirely different?

For Sweden > duurtlang 06/01/2017 at 12:19

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Budget Nissan Armadas

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > duurtlang 06/01/2017 at 12:23

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It’s hard to say, really. Trying to answer your questions seriously and not as part of my initial joke, AMC was nearly always a budget brand in its day, that inherited from Rambler. Their niche wasn’t necessarily only that, however - their marketing emphasized value for the money, standing out from the crowd, offering things that other brands didn’t. Nissan is a *fairly* budget brand here in the US, but between some measure of trying to move upmarket and reliance on CVTs, Nissan is kind of an anodyne middle brand. Inoffensive, but kind of cheap and boring. That may be why for their crossovers they’ve emphasized wild styling so much.

I think Scion suffered from being seen too clearly as a Toyota playing dressup, and was still too distinctly Japanese and neutral for the most part. Those models which were least neutral were most Japanese (xB) and vice versa.

For any new AMC to succeed, they would have to offer models with a distinctly American flair - much as the Miata came into existence as a distinctly English *and* Californian car. I admit that I really don’t know what platforms would be suitable for new models in that way, the Juke being similar in many ways to the old Eagle wagon notwithstanding...

duurtlang > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 06/01/2017 at 12:35

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I knew it was a joke, but I found it interesting none the less. Nissan/Renault has a lot to offer that’s not available in the US, but none of that is distinctively American. Renault for example could, theoretically, exist next to Nissan in the US. They have the lineup. It’s very un-American though, and probably (EU market Renault) more upmarket than US market Nissan. So the opposite of your suggestion.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > duurtlang 06/01/2017 at 12:48

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Nissan have kind of put themselves in an odd position - they were downmarket here for so long that Nissan models were brought here as Infiniti and given new names because nobody would accept an upmarket Nissan. At the same time, the last memory of Renault on these shores was with the Alliance and the Fuego - fitting well into AMC’s “something inexpensive, with unusual qualities” sort of brand image, but ultimately, a little too cheap, a little too *French* in its quirkiness, and axed when convenient. I don’t know that an upmarket Renault qua Renault would be credible.

A reengineered Captur for American tastes might do very well, as might a Talisman and the current Megane. I think aggressively pushing an “affordable premium car” line might smooth over any lingering distaste for Renault - it’s been long enough that the Alliance isn’t as much of a punchline for cheapness, and releasing an “AMC that everyone knows is a French car” might pay off, if a little risky. Jeep’s doing well enough with their borrowed platforms.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 06/01/2017 at 12:49

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But FCA owns AMC

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 06/01/2017 at 12:54

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DON’T TELL ME WHAT’S IMPOSSIBLE

Yeah, but seriously, given some of the other wacky collabs out there I think I can still imagine a rebranded Renault hypothetical. Outside Jeep, it’s not like there’s anything really left of AMC other than the trademarks.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 06/01/2017 at 14:32

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The 300/Charger/Challenger are still based on the Eagle platform.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 06/01/2017 at 14:38

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LH platform which was developed for the Chrysler Eagle marque’s Vision and others to succeed the Eagle Premier which actually was AMC, then was succeeded by the LX... I dunno. Kind of a loose connection.