AMC Gremlin
AMC introduced the Gremlin on April 1, 1970, so many people considered it a joke. The Gremlin was a subcompact model with small dimensions and diminutive power. It also came at an affordable price, attracting the youth market. Until then, no American automotive manufacturer had tried such a thing. However, AMC had to do it since it was on the verge of bankruptcy as the sole independent carmaker in America at the time (via Motor Trend).
Car fans have always known AMC for their inexpensive, economy cars. While Detroit’s Big Three were busy building full-size machinery, AMC produced compact vehicles. However, by the end of the ’60s, GM, Ford, and Chrysler had also entered the compact car field. This caused AMC to start losing ground. So the answer was to go to the next level with the subcompact model. The market well received the Gremlin since it was a cool, affordable car for the free-thinking early 1970s. It sold in high enough quantities to keep AMC stable for the rest of the decaEven thoughthat it saved AMC from going bust in the ’70s, it couldn’t protect it from closing in the mid-’80s.