Every year, we drive Chrysler's beautifully engineered and thoughtfully constructed LH cars--the Dodge Intrepid, Eagle Vision and Chrysler Concorde--and every year, we wonder aloud: are you sure these sleekly stellar sedans were made by the same company that gave us the stodgy K car?

As it stands, the 1993-model-year introduction of the LH platform, with its breakthrough cab-forward design, was enough to really bail Chrysler out--after years of being relegated to the cellar of the domestic Big Three by its unimaginitive, plain-vanilla designs.

But on the strength of its LH cars--and the expanded luxury version, the LHS, Chrysler has shaken off the doldrums and re-emerged as a design leader, a position that's sure to be reinforced by the new LH cars, which will begin filtering into showrooms this fall.

The combination of dramatic styling and on-the-road agility--and more interior roominess than many competing cars--has wowed critics and car buyers alike, making the LH one of America's auto-biz success stories of the '90s.

Wisely, Chrysler continues to spread the LH wisdom around, offering an LH entry in three of its divisions: Dodge Intrepid and Chrysler Concorde take advantage of longtime customer loyalty to those two stalwart divisions, while the Eagle Vision does duty as an import fighter, trying to lure more cutting-edge, sport-minded buyers.

The Vision also serves as the testing ground for new technological advances, like last year when it was used to introduce the AutoStick system--an automatic transmission that can be shifted like a stick shift. The AutoStick proved popular enough that it's now also an option on the Intrepid.