Editing Nash Motors (section)

==Formation of American Motors Corporation==
{{main|American Motors Corporation}}
[[File:Nash Rambler Cross Country 1955.jpg|thumb|right|1955 Nash Rambler Cross Country station wagon]]

In January 1954, Nash announced the acquisition of the [[Hudson Motor Car Company]] as a friendly merger, creating [[American Motors Corporation]] (AMC). To improve the financial performance of the combined companies, all production, beginning with the 1955 Nash and Hudson models, would happen at Nash's Kenosha plant. Nash would focus most of its marketing resources on its smaller Rambler models, and Hudson would focus its marketing efforts on its full-sized cars.

One of the first things Mason did as CEO of the new company was to initiate talks with [[James J. Nance]], president of Packard, for parts-sharing arrangements between AMC and Packard. At this time, AMC did not have its own V8 engine, and an agreement was made for the new {{convert|320|CID|L|abbr=on}} Packard V8 engine and Packard's Ultramatic automatic transmission to be used in the 1955 [[Nash Ambassador]] and Hudson Hornet models.

In July 1954, Packard acquired Studebaker to form [[Studebaker-Packard Corporation]],<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://time.com/archive/6798397/autos-merger-no-3/ |title=Autos: Merger No. 3 |magazine=Time |date=28 June 1954 |access-date=3 June 2024}}</ref> however, further talks of a merger between AMC and Packard-Studebaker were cut short when Mason died on 8 October 1954. A week after his death, Mason's successor, [[George W. Romney]], announced "there are no mergers under way either directly or indirectly".<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,823618,00.html |title=Personnel: Changes of the Week |magazine=Time |date=25 October 1954 |access-date=3 June 2024}}</ref> Nevertheless, Romney continued with Mason's commitment to buy components from Studebaker-Packard Corporation. Although Mason and Nance had previously agreed that Studebaker-Packard would purchase parts from AMC, it did not do so. Moreover, Packard's engines and transmissions were comparatively expensive, so AMC began development of its own [[AMC V8 engine|V8 engine]], and replaced the outsourced unit by mid-1956.<ref name=newentry>{{cite magazine|url= https://time.com/archive/6621956/autos-new-entry/ |title=Autos: New Entry |magazine=Time |date=24 March 1954 |access-date=3 June 2024}}</ref>

For the 1955 model year, all the large Nash and Hudson automobiles were based on a Nash-derived shared unitized body shell using styling themes by [[Battista Farina|Pinin Farina]], [[Edmund E. Anderson]], and Frank Spring. Each had individual powertrains and separate, non-interchangeable body parts.<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=aN4DAAAAMBAJ&q=George+Romney,+president+of+American+Motors,+reports+that+the+two+cars+share+only+one+exterior+body+panel&pg=PA110 |page=110 |title=Detroit Listening Post |first=Leo |last=Donovan |magazine=Popular Mechanics |date=January 1955 |volume=103 |issue=1 |via=Google Books |access-date=3 June 2024}}</ref> This mimicked the longtime practice [[Big Three (automobile manufacturers)|Big Three]] (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) that allowed for maximum manufacturing economy. Anderson set up separate design studios for Nash, Hudson, and Rambler.

George Romney ordered the removal of the front fender skirts on Nashes and Ramblers for the 1955 models. Customers disliked this feature, yet it was reportedly demanded by George Mason, who liked their appearance.

Even with the merger forming AMC, they were held to a total of about four percent of the market and thus were under pressure to lower expenses and tooling costs for new models, perhaps by innovation.<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Zt4DAAAAMBAJ&q=Unitized+Bodies+Hudson+and+Nash+both+use+a+unitized-+body+design+That+economic+fact+is+resulting+in+the+mergers+of+independents+(currently+scrambling+for+a+total+of+about+four+percent+of+the+market)+as+a+way+to+share+tooling+costs&pg=PA82 |page=82 |title=Detroit Listening Post |first=Leo |last=Donovan |magazine=Popular Mechanics |date=August 1954 |volume=102 |issue=2 |via=Google Books |access-date=3 June 2024}}</ref>

The [[Nash Metropolitan]], marketed under either the Nash or Hudson brands, became a make unto its own in 1957, as did the Rambler. By this point, Rambler sales comprised most of AMC's volume, so George Romney decided to phase out the Nash and Hudson nameplates and focus solely on Rambler. This move would pay off the following year when an economic recession struck the United States and created a strong demand for economical compact cars.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=VO8mAQAAMAAJ&q=George+Romney+decided+to+leave+full-sized+cars+to+other+manufacturers+and+base+the+future+of+AMC+on+Rambler |pages= 201–202 |title=A century of automotive style: 100 years of American car design |first1=Michael |last1=Lamm |first2=Dave |last2=Holls |year=1996 |publisher=Lamm-Morada |isbn=978-0-932128-07-2 |access-date=3 August 2015}}</ref> Nash and Hudson production ended with the last Hornet made on 25 June, 1957.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=m-k3ONS880cC&q=the+last+Hudson+Hornet+being+built+on+June+25,+1957&pg=PA815 |page=815 |last=Flory, Jr. |first=J. "Kelly" |title=American Cars, 1946-1959 Every Model Every Year |year=2008 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-3229-5 |access-date=3 August 2015}}</ref> From 1958 until 1962, Rambler and the Metropolitan were the only brands of cars sold by AMC. By 1965, the Rambler name would begin to be phased out, and AMC would take over as the brand name until the 1988 model year.

In 1970, American Motors acquired [[Kaiser Jeep]] (the descendant of [[Willys-Overland Motors]]) and its [[Toledo, Ohio]], based manufacturing facilities. In 1979, AMC established a technology partnership with [[Renault]]. In 1987, [[Chrysler Corporation]] made a public offering to acquire all shares of AMC on the NYSE. The shareholders approved the offer, and AMC became a division of Chrysler Corporation.