Upcoming PBS Documentary Chronicles the Rise and Fall of American Motors Corporation

KENOSHA, Wis (WRJN) — A new documentary series chronicling the history of American Motors Corporation (AMC) is set to debut on PBS stations nationwide in March 2025, filmmaker Joe Ligo announced last week.

“The Last Independent Automaker,” a six-part series produced by Ligo’s AutoMoments YouTube channel, will explore AMC’s journey from its formation to its acquisition by Chrysler. Each half-hour episode will cover a different period in the company’s history.

Ligo, a former staffer at Maryland Public Television’s “MotorWeek” and AMC enthusiast, has spent over seven years on the project. The series features interviews with nearly 50 former AMC employees, from factory workers to CEOs, and showcases over 2,000 photographs and hundreds of hours of digitized archival footage.

“We’ve tried to paint a complete picture of AMC’s story,” Ligo said. “From the Nash Rambler to the Eagle, we’re covering it all in stunning 4K.”

The series will air weekly on PBS stations and stream on the PBS video app. It will also be available on the AutoMoments YouTube channel.

Auto production in Kenosha ended in 2010 with the shut-down of the engine plant. On that site today, construction is underway on The Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood,. That’s a project aimed at revitalizing and transforming 107 inner-city acres into a collaborative, mixed-use development.