Overview
The Renault 9 was launched in the autumn of 1981 as a four-door saloon while the 11 arrived in the spring of 1983 as a three or five-door hatchback.
Both had been developed under the Renault code name L42 and were designed by Robert Opron. Renault had begun the conception of the Renault 9 in 1977, as a "four meter" model (referring to its length) to fit between the Renault 5 and the Renault 14. Opron conceived a traditional three-box design to appeal to the traditional customer and avoid the poor reception that had met the Renault 14's styling. Exhaustive consumer clinics suggested buyers rejected innovation, resulting in a non-descript design, albeit of modest elegance. By the time the models entered production, Renault had assigned more than 500 people to the project, logging 14,500,000 hours of study and testing, constructing 44 prototypes, testing 130 engines, and test-driving prototypes more than 2.2 million km.
The Renault 9 was awarded the 1982 European Car of the Year, while the Alliance appeared on Car and Driver's Ten Best list for 1983, and was the 1983 Motor Trend Car of the Year.
Although the 9 and 11 cars had different names and body styles, they were in fact identical under the skin, and were intended to jointly replace the older Renault 14. The 11 was also distinguishable from the 9 by its front end, which featured square twin headlights, which had been introduced on the North American Alliance. The 9 also received this new front end in 1985 and both models were face-lifted for a final time with matching nose and interior upgrades for the 1987 model year.
A version of the 9 was manufactured and marketed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) in the United States as the Renault Alliance and bearing a small AMC badge. With 623,573 examples manufactured for model years 1982-1987, AMC offered the Alliance as a four-door sedan, two-door sedan (with higher rear wheel arches than the 4-door) and as a convertible, beginning in 1984.
The Renault 9 and 11 continued in production until 1988, when it was replaced in Europe by the Renault 19.
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