Chrysler Unveils Line That Carries Big Hopes : Autos: The LH cars, designed to go head-on against Japanese models, are critical to the No. 3 car maker’s future.

Chrysler Corp. on Wednesday took the wraps off a new line of mid-size cars aimed at competing with Japanese autos that have nibbled at the No. 3 auto maker’s market share the past few years.

The Dodge Intrepid, Eagle Vision and Chrysler Concorde, which will hit showrooms next fall, are considered critical to Chrysler’s future.

The cars, which carried the code name LH during development, will be followed in a year by a new Chrysler New Yorker, a larger car based on the same design as the others.

The cars look strikingly different from any of the auto maker’s current lineup. Chrysler officials said the LH cars are designed to attract a younger, more import-oriented buyer.

“The long wait for Chrysler to produce is over,” President Robert Lutz said. “1992 is the calendar year we want our products to do the talking.”

The three cars will carry base prices ranging from $15,000 to $25,000, putting them in the same range as the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Nissan Maxima and top-end Ford Taurus sedans.

It’s one of the most crowded segments of the market.

“The success will depend on how they market it to the public,” said analyst Susan Jacobs of Jacobs Automotive Inc. of Little Falls, N.J. “They also have to be able to keep up with any actions from Honda and Toyota in reaction to this.

“The key unknown is how the Japanese will fight back.”

Lutz said no decision has been made on whether to offer incentives on the Intrepid, Vision or Concorde. However, corporate planning on how many cars would have to be sold to make money included a provision for incentives.

Lutz said Chrysler will be able to make money by selling fewer than 250,000 LH cars a year, the anticipated production level of the Bramalea plant running two shifts.

Car and truck sales fell 11.2% during 1991. Chrysler lost $892 million during the first nine months of the year. Year-end earnings are due early next month, and the losses will probably mount.

There are no plans to make any LH cars with right-hand-drive for export to Japan, Lutz said.

The unveiling of the cars came during a media preview at the North American International Auto Show.