Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos

Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos was established as its own company in 1963. The Mexican Government passed a law to control the privately owned Sociedad Mexicana de Credito Industrial (SOMEX), the parent company of Willys Mexicana S.A. (which was established in 1946 as a local manufacturer and distributor for Willys-Overland Jeeps and used both the names VAM and Willys Mexicana on its products) that held the license to produce and import AMC Ramblers.

Willys Mexicana was renamed VAM in 1963 following an agreement between American Motors Corporation (AMC) and the Mexican Government. After the restructuring of the original company, VAM proceeded to construct its own engine plant in the municipality of Lerma. At the same time, AMC took a 40% equity interest in VAM, but did not actively participate in the company's management. Government content regulations required that VAM vehicles have at least 60% locally sourced parts.

American Motors' stake in VAM passed into Renault's operations in late 1980, when Renault assumed majority (controlling) ownership of AMC. The last AMC-based cars were produced in 1983, the same year that AMC produced its last two-wheel-drive cars in the United States. Beginning in 1984, the company produced several Renault models as VAM vehicles.

The Mexican economy entered a recession and a devaluation of the Mexican peso beginning in 1982. The president of Mexico, Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado, introduced neoliberal economic reforms to encourage foreign investment and initiated widespread privatization of state-run industries. This included the sale of the Mexican government's interest in VAM to Renault. The Mexican government paid Renault US$200 million to take over VAM and assume its debts in 1987. Renault then ended VAM as an entity.

The enterprise represented one of the most significant industrial experiments aimed at developing an automotive industry with the involvement of the government and the ability to adapt vehicles to the needs of the Mexican market.

From its inception as Willys Mexicana as a private in the late 1940s, the company manufactured Jeep vehicles under license. The business added assembly of AMC automobiles after 1954.

Most VAM cars mimicked domestic (U.S.) models but had differences in aesthetic design. In the sixties, VAM produced the Rambler American (in two- and four-door and wagon versions - as well as a limited single-year hardtop model - in two generations), a version of the AMC Rebel called the "Rambler Classic" (in two-door hardtop and four-door sedan versions), and the AMC Javelin pony car. In the 1970s, VAM produced a full line of AMC Hornets, first called "Rambler American" and, starting in 1975, simply "American," plus a sport version called "Rambler American Rally" (subsequently "American Rally"). The AMC Concord hatchback body style was badged as the "American Rally AMX." Rambler Classics, AMC Gremlins, Javelins, and Pacers were sold under their original U.S. names. The AMC Matador sedan models were badged as the "Classic DPL" since 1972, and starting in 1974, the Matador Coupe was produced in a sport version called "Classic AMX" and as a luxury "Classic Brougham" model. In later years, VAM badged variants of the AMC Spirit as the "Rally AMX", a luxury "Rally SST" version, and a high-performance "Rally GT" model. The Mexican version of the AMC Concord continued to be sold under the "American" name in base, GFS, ECD, and DL models.

Some VAM models mixed and matched body components from U.S. cars. Examples of Mexican-only cars include a 1977 two-door "Hornet" with a 1977–1978 Gremlin front clip. Many of these carried slightly different engines, all-original interiors, and different model and designation names than their counterparts in the United States and Canada, but were all based on U.S. bodies and used the same parts. Most bodies used the same year parts as U.S. production cars, but sometimes years and models were mixed. VAM built 1974–1976 Gremlins used the AMC Hornet grille and front fenders.

Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos designed and produced an original body that was not available in the U.S. or other markets: the VAM Lerma. Named after the town where VAM's engine factory was located, the Lerma was described as a "cut and weld" body. The rear hatchback portion of a VAM Rally (AMC Spirit liftback) replaced the trunk and rear end of the longer wheelbase AMC Concord (VAM American). Available in two- and four-door styles, this unique hatchback was positioned as a premium model. This idea was presented to AMC, but the tooling and labor costs to produce the car would have been prohibitive in the United States. Additionally, AMC was moving to smaller, front-wheel-drive Renault-based models to replace its rear-wheel-drive platform.