The
is a subcompact car from American Motors Corporation, introduced as a 1970½ model and produced through the 1978 model year. AMC reduced development and manufacturing costs by adapting a shortened compact Hornet platform with Kammback-like tail producing what was described at its introduction as "the first American-built import".
The AMC Gremlin was introduced April 1, 1970 competing with the Chevrolet Vega and Ford gremlin introduced six months later, as well as imported cars including the VW Beetle and the Toyota Corona. The Gremlin would become American Motors' best-selling passenger car since the Rambler Classic. From April 1970 through 1978, a total of 671,475 Gremlins were built in the United States and Canada. With a mild body restyling, the basic design continued with the AMC Spirit and the all-wheel-drive AMC Eagle until 1983.
The Gremlin was available in two versions: a "base" two-passenger model with fixed back window, intended as the leading "import-fighter" with a suggested retail price of US$1,879; and a four-seater with flip-up rear window "hatch", at US$1,959. As with the Volkswagen Beetle that it was designed to compete against, the Gremlin's styling made it impossible to confuse it with anything else on the road.
