Chrysler LHS | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Manufacturer |
|
Production |
|
Model years |
|
Body and chassis | |
Class | Full-size luxury 4-door sedan |
Layout | Longitudinal front-engine, front-wheel drive |
Platform | Chrysler LH platform |
Chronology | |
Predecessor | Chrysler Imperial Chrysler Fifth Avenue |
Successor | Chrysler Concorde Limited |
The Chrysler LHS is a full-size luxury four-door sedan that was produced by Chrysler for the 1994 through the 2001 model years, [1] with a one-year hiatus for 1998. It replaced the Chrysler Imperial and the Chrysler Fifth Avenue as the division's flagship model. The LHS was rebadged as the Concorde Limited for the 2002 model year. [2]
First generation | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Manufacturer | Chrysler Corporation |
Production | February 1993 – 1997 |
Model years | 1994–1997 |
Assembly | Brampton Assembly, Brampton, Canada |
Body and chassis | |
Related | |
Powertrain | |
Engine | 3.5 L EGE V6 |
Transmission | 4-speed 42LE automatic |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 113.0 in (2,870 mm) |
Length | 207.4 in (5,268 mm) |
Width | 74.3 in (1,887 mm) |
Height | 55.7 in (1,415 mm) |
Introduced in May 1993 for the 1994 model year, the Chrysler LHS was the top of the line model for the division, as well as the most expensive of the Chrysler LH platform cars. [3] All the LH-series models shared a 113.0-inch (2,870 mm) wheelbase and were developed using Chrysler's new computer drafting system. [4]
The car was differentiated from the division's New Yorker sedan by its bucket leather seats (the New Yorker had a bench seat) and standard features such as alloy wheels that were options on the New Yorker. [5] Further differences between the Chrysler LHS and its New Yorker counterpart were a floor console and shifter, five-passenger seating, lack of chrome trim, an upgraded interior, and a sportier image. From the 1996 model year on the New Yorker was dropped in favor of a six-passenger option on the LHS. The LHS received a minor face change in 1995 when the corporate-wide Pentastar emblem was replaced with the revived Chrysler brand emblem.
Standard features of the LHS included a 3.5 L EGE 24-valve 214 hp (160 kW; 217 PS) V6 engine, body-colored grille, side mirrors and trim, traction control, aluminum wheels, integrated fog lights, 8-way power-adjustable front seats, premium sound systems with amplifiers, and automatic temperature control. Unlike the New Yorker, leather seats were standard.
Production figures:
Yearly Production | |
---|---|
1994 | 44,739 |
1995 | 29,418 |
1996 | 34,900 |
1997 | 36,525 |
Total | 145,582 |
Second generation | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Manufacturer | DaimlerChrysler |
Production | 1998–2001 |
Model years | 1999–2001 |
Assembly | Brampton Assembly, Brampton, Canada |
Body and chassis | |
Related | |
Powertrain | |
Engine | 3.5 L EGE V6 |
Transmission | 4-speed 42LE automatic |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 113.0 in (2,870 mm) |
Length | 207.7 in (5,276 mm) |
Width | 74.4 in (1,890 mm) |
Height | 56.0 in (1,422 mm) |
After a one-year hiatus, a redesigned LHS was introduced in 1998 for the 1999 model year. [4] It featured the new winged emblem of the Chrysler division. With the introduction of the 300M and the discontinuation of the New Yorker, the second generation LHS competed with traditional large luxury sedans while the shorter and sportier 300M competed in the performance luxury market. [3] The new generation of the LHS was much more refined than its predecessor, and its 3.5 L SOHC 24-valve V6 produced 253 hp (189 kW; 257 PS) at 6400 rpm and 255 lb⋅ft (346 N⋅m) of torque at 3950 rpm. [4]
Chrysler discontinued the LHS after 2001, replacing it with the new Concorde Limited. The Concorde's fascias, the primary exterior difference between the Concorde and LHS, were replaced with the LHS'. In essence, the LHS was rebadged as the Concorde Limited allowing Chrysler to streamline its model lineup.
The first-generation LHS was sold in Europe by special order only during 1995–1999 model years. [7] LHS was rebranded as New Yorker for the European market but retained the LHS name for the United Kingdom. [8] [9]
The New Yorker featured the export taillights with amber turn signal indicators in the middle band between red brake and night lights and white reverse lights, side turn signal repeaters, headlights with different light output and bulbs, and a set of red rear fog lamps in the bumpers adjacent to the wider numberplate. The side running lights and retroreflective markers were deleted from the bumpers and front turn signal indicators.
The first generation LHS was praised by motoring journalist Jeremy Clarkson, who is well known for criticising North American automobiles, described the LHS as "by global standards, right up there with the best." [10] The LHS nameplate was discontinued after 2001, but the design continued as the Concorde Limited.
Eagle was a brand of the Chrysler Corporation following the purchase of American Motors Corporation (AMC) in 1987 and marketed through the end of the 1998 model year. It was aimed at the enthusiast driver and promoted as more "European" than the automaker's similar models.
Plymouth was a brand of automobiles produced by Chrysler Corporation and its successor DaimlerChrysler. The brand was launched in 1928 to compete in what was then described as the "low-priced" market segment that was dominated by Chevrolet and Ford. It became a high-volume seller for the automaker until the late 1990s. Plymouth cars were marketed primarily in the United States. The brand was withdrawn from the marketplace in 2001. The Plymouth models that were produced up to then were either discontinued or rebranded as Chrysler or Dodge.
The Plymouth Reliant and Dodge Aries are mid size cars introduced for model year 1981 as the first "K-cars" manufactured and marketed by the Chrysler Corporation. The Reliant and Aries were the smallest cars to have the traditional 6 passenger 2 bench seat with column shifter seating arrangement favored by customers in the United States, similar to larger rear-wheel drive cars such as the Dodge Dart and other front-wheel drive cars such as the Chevrolet Celebrity. The Reliant was powered by a then-new 2.2 L I4 SOHC engine, with a Mitsubishi "Silent Shaft" 2.6 L as an option. The Reliant was available as a 2-door coupe, 4-door sedan, or as a 4-door station wagon, in three different trim lines: base, Custom and SE. Station wagons came only in Custom or SE trim.
The Dodge Spirit is a midsize automobile marketed by Dodge from the 1989 to the 1995 model years. The singular successor of the Dodge Aries, Dodge Lancer, and the Dodge 600, the Spirit was slotted between the Shadow and the Dynasty within the Dodge product line. In contrast to its predecessors, the Spirit was sold exclusively as a four-door notchback sedan.
The Chrysler New Yorker is an automobile model produced by Chrysler from 1940 until 1996, serving for several decades as either the brand's flagship model or as a junior sedan to the Chrysler Imperial, the latter during the years in which the Imperial name was used within the Chrysler lineup rather than as a standalone brand.
The Chrysler 300 is a full-size car manufactured and marketed by Stellantis North America and its predecessor companies as a four-door sedan and station wagon in its first generation and solely as a four-door sedan in its second generation.
The Chrysler Fifth Avenue was a trim level/option package or model name used by Chrysler for its larger sedans from 1979 to 1993. The Fifth Avenue name was no longer used after 1993 when Chrysler introduced its new LH-platform New Yorker and similar LHS. The title "Fifth Avenue" references a street in New York City which contains many upscale shops and cultural attractions. The Chrysler Building is two blocks east of Fifth Avenue.
The LH platform served as the basis for the Chrysler Concorde, Chrysler LHS, Chrysler 300M, Dodge Intrepid, Eagle Vision, and the final Chrysler New Yorker. A Plymouth to be called the "Accolade" was planned, but never saw production. The platform pioneered Chrysler's "cab-forward" design; featured on some Chrysler, Dodge, and Eagle cars in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The Eagle Vision is a full-sized, front-wheel drive four-door sports sedan produced from 1992 until 1997. It was marketed by Eagle, replacing the AMC/Renault-designed Eagle Premier. The Eagle Vision was badged as the Chrysler Vision in Europe. The Vision debuted at the 1992 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. As one of the LH sedans, it was Automobile Magazine's Automobile of the Year in 1993, and ultimately the only Eagle model to be completely designed and built in-house by Chrysler.
Plymouth Voyager is a nameplate for a range of vans that were marketed by the Plymouth division of Chrysler. From 1974 until 1983, the Voyager was a full-size van, sold as the counterpart of Dodge Sportsman. Starting with the 1984 model year, the Voyager was marketed as one of the new Chrysler minivan, along with the Dodge Caravan. As a minivan, there were three generations of the Voyager from 1984 until 2000. Following the closure of the Plymouth division in 2000, the Voyager was marketed under the Chrysler brand as a lower-trim version of the Chrysler Town & Country through 2003.
The Chrysler Concorde is a full-size car that was produced by Chrysler from 1992 to 2004. It assumed the C-body Chrysler New Yorker Salon's position as the entry-level full-size sedan in the Chrysler brand lineup. One of Chrysler's three original Chrysler LH platform models, it has a front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout.
The Eagle Premier is a full-size executive car that was developed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) during the 1980s through its partnership with Renault. This model was manufactured in the then-brand-new Brampton Assembly in Canada. Chrysler Corporation bought the rights to the Premier when it acquired Renault's outstanding shares in AMC in 1987, and began selling the car under the new Eagle marque.
The Chrysler 300M is a full-size luxury car that was produced by Daimler/Chrysler from 1999 to 2004. It is a front-wheel drive, 255 hp V6 engined car using the Chrysler LH platform. Versus its platform mates, the 300M was roughly 10 inches (25 cm) shorter to make it more easily exportable to Europe. Priced above the Concorde and identically to the LHS, the 300M shared Chrysler's flagship position with the LHS until the LHS's discontinuation after 2001, upon which it became Chrysler's sole flagship model.
The Chrysler Sebring is a line of mid-size automobiles that was sold from 1995 through 2010 by Chrysler. Three generations of convertibles, two generations of sedans, and two generations of coupes were produced. Although the coupe shared the same name and some styling cues, it was mechanically unrelated to the other Sebring models.
The Dodge Avenger is a front-wheel drive, mid-sized sedan that was marketed by Dodge. The Avenger made its North American debut in 1994 for the 1995 model year as a coupe that was produced until 2000. The model name was reintroduced to the market as a four-door sports sedan in 2007 for the 2008 model year. The Dodge Avenger name was used on the South African market Hillman Avengers in 1975 and 1976.
The Chrysler Town & Country is a minivan that was manufactured and marketed by Chrysler from 1990 to the 2016 model years. The third Chrysler minivan introduced in North America, the Town & Country adopted its nameplate from the flagship Chrysler station wagon line, adopting its exterior woodgrain trim as a design feature for several generations.
The single overhead cam V6 engine introduced in 1993. It was derived from Chrysler's first homegrown front-wheel drive V6, the Chrysler 3.3 engine. The SOHC V6 has been replaced by the Chrysler Pentastar engine.
The Dodge Intrepid is a full-sized front-wheel drive four-door sedan that was produced by Dodge for the 1993 to 2004 model years. It is related to the Chrysler 300M, Chrysler Concorde, Chrysler LHS, Chrysler New Yorker, and Eagle Vision which were all built on Chrysler's new "cab forward" LH platform.
The third-generation Chrysler minivans are a series of passenger minivans that were marketed by the Chrysler Corporation from the 1996 to 2000 model years. The first ground-up redesign of the model lines since their introduction, designers added a further degree of divisional identity between the Plymouth Voyager, Dodge Caravan, and Chrysler Town & Country. In a notable change, the cargo van was discontinued, with all examples sold as passenger vans. Coinciding with the retirement of the Plymouth brand during 2001, this is the final generation marketed as the Plymouth Voyager.
Chrysler is an American brand of automobiles and division owned by Stellantis North America. The automaker was founded in 1925 by Walter Chrysler from the remains of the Maxwell Motor Company. The brand primarily focused on building luxury vehicles as the broader Chrysler Corporation expanded, following a strategy of brand diversification and hierarchy largely adopted from General Motors.