How I think that General Motors had paved the way for Chrysler to develop the LH platform is GM's decision to launch the H-platform GM-70 cars in the mid 1980's to replace their conventional V8-powered frame-on-body predecessors (in coupe and sedan form, thankfully; the wagons continued in the generation of GM Full-Size car in 1977 up until the redesign of their B-platform in 1991), and GM felt that they just had to develop their groundbreaking and what they referred to as "world-class" front-wheel-drive, transverse-mounted engine and unibody Full-Size cars that were only negligibly larger than GM's A-platform Celebrity/6000/Cutlass Ciera, and were produced in their brand-new, state of the art plant in Hamtramck, Michigan where the Dodge Hamtramck assembly plant once stood; were styled-like about 90% of GM's products at the time-distastefully styled by Irv Rybicki (the GM-70 cars looked like nothing except a 'larger Cavalier'), and as usual of GM's constant cost-cutting measures-designed and built these cars with shoddy build quality when compared to their conventional V8-powered frame-on-body predecessors; and this "large" front-wheel-drive platform that GM had developed is what I think is just a lengthened and widened version of GM's A-platform that had underpinned the Celebrity/6000/Cutlass Ciera.
To top all of this off, GM had to continue using the venerable 88, 98, LeSabre, Electra/Park Avenue; and Bonneville names for what I refer to as these fake Full-Size cars; while GM continued manufacturing their real Full-Size cars as Station Wagons across the Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile; and Buick brands, continued building the Caprice in 2-door coupe and 4-door sedan forms; and had rebadged the Pontiac version of the Impala/Caprice-which was called the Catalina/Bonneville as simply the 'Parisenne' so that Pontiac could continue to have a conventional V8-powered frame-on-body to sell alongside their ultra-modern front-wheel-drive Bonneville. And of course, Cadillac continued to build the Fleetwood/Brougham to compete neck and neck with the Town Car and keep the conventional V8-powered frame-on-body Luxury car market alive for the time being.
In a nutshell, GM tried to show the buying public that they don't need to have a conventional V8-powered frame-on-body car to have all of the interior room, trunk space, and luxuries that they were well accustomed to; and the buying public wasn't as receptive to these cars as they had traditionally been towards their conventional V8-powered frame-on-body predecessors.
My connection with Chrysler and the LH-cars to the GM-70 cars and GM's H-platform are that alongside having acquired AMC and Jeep from Renault in 1987 and having picked up Francois Castaning from Renault as part of the deal to purchase AMC and Jeep, and Chrysler having felt compelled to use the bones of the Renault/Eagle Premier, Renault 25; and the Renault 21/Medallion for the development of the LH (such as the LH being developed with a conventional north-south mounted engine while still being front-wheel-drive and the 42LE transaxle being developed for the north-south engine layout), is that Chrysler must have heard about GM having shown buying public that they don't need to have a conventional V8-powered frame-on-body car to have all of the interior room, trunk space, and luxuries that they were well accustomed to with their H-platform cars; and Chrysler heeded on that "advice" set forth by GM and had comprehended that rather than redesign the M-platform or even resurrect the R-platform that was used for the St. Regis/Gran Fury/Newport/New Yorker; that they could use the bones of the Renault/Eagle Premier, Renault 25; and the Renault 21/Medallion to create their own modern unibody front-wheel-drive car.
It seems to me that the Concorde had competed with the 88 and the LeSabre:
It seems to me that the LHS and LH-platform New Yorker had competed with the 98 and the Electra/Park Avenue:
It seems to me that the Intrepid and the Eagle Vision competed with the Bonneville:
To top all of this off, GM had to continue using the venerable 88, 98, LeSabre, Electra/Park Avenue; and Bonneville names for what I refer to as these fake Full-Size cars; while GM continued manufacturing their real Full-Size cars as Station Wagons across the Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile; and Buick brands, continued building the Caprice in 2-door coupe and 4-door sedan forms; and had rebadged the Pontiac version of the Impala/Caprice-which was called the Catalina/Bonneville as simply the 'Parisenne' so that Pontiac could continue to have a conventional V8-powered frame-on-body to sell alongside their ultra-modern front-wheel-drive Bonneville. And of course, Cadillac continued to build the Fleetwood/Brougham to compete neck and neck with the Town Car and keep the conventional V8-powered frame-on-body Luxury car market alive for the time being.
In a nutshell, GM tried to show the buying public that they don't need to have a conventional V8-powered frame-on-body car to have all of the interior room, trunk space, and luxuries that they were well accustomed to; and the buying public wasn't as receptive to these cars as they had traditionally been towards their conventional V8-powered frame-on-body predecessors.
My connection with Chrysler and the LH-cars to the GM-70 cars and GM's H-platform are that alongside having acquired AMC and Jeep from Renault in 1987 and having picked up Francois Castaning from Renault as part of the deal to purchase AMC and Jeep, and Chrysler having felt compelled to use the bones of the Renault/Eagle Premier, Renault 25; and the Renault 21/Medallion for the development of the LH (such as the LH being developed with a conventional north-south mounted engine while still being front-wheel-drive and the 42LE transaxle being developed for the north-south engine layout), is that Chrysler must have heard about GM having shown buying public that they don't need to have a conventional V8-powered frame-on-body car to have all of the interior room, trunk space, and luxuries that they were well accustomed to with their H-platform cars; and Chrysler heeded on that "advice" set forth by GM and had comprehended that rather than redesign the M-platform or even resurrect the R-platform that was used for the St. Regis/Gran Fury/Newport/New Yorker; that they could use the bones of the Renault/Eagle Premier, Renault 25; and the Renault 21/Medallion to create their own modern unibody front-wheel-drive car.
It seems to me that the Concorde had competed with the 88 and the LeSabre:
It seems to me that the LHS and LH-platform New Yorker had competed with the 98 and the Electra/Park Avenue:
It seems to me that the Intrepid and the Eagle Vision competed with the Bonneville: