The Medallion was developed by Renault and became a captive import for its corporate partner, American Motors (AMC). It went on sale on 1 March 1987 as a 1988 model as a replacement for the slow-selling Renault 18i/Sportwagon and the venerable AMC Concord. Both the 18i sedan and Concord had been canceled after the 1983 model year, while the Sportwagon was available through 1986. Therefore, from 1984-87, AMC/Renault offered no mainstream sedan larger than the C-segment Alliance. The larger D-segment Medallion sedan was thus extremely important to American Motors and filled a gaping hole in its product line when it was launched.