Introduced in 1980, the Eagle was a trend-setting four-wheel drive car consisting of a Concord body shell mounted on an all-new platform developed by American Motors engineers during the late 1970s. The Eagle become one of AMC's best-known products and is considered to be one of the first "crossover SUVs". Under its familiar body, the Eagle featured some truly revolutionary engineering. The drivetrain was the world's first true full-time all wheel drive system. Not surprisingly, most Eagles were sold in snow-prone states. Per AMC tradition, sales were strong for the first year or two, then tapered off dramatically. Whatever the Eagle's merits, it may be that customers had simply grown tired of the styling, which dated back to the 1970 Hornet.