After 56 years and 14 product generations, the Chrysler New Yorker story came to an end in 1996.
Introduced in 1939, the New Yorker was for many years the flagship of the Chrysler brand’s passenger car lineup but for the Imperial, which was often marketed as a separate make. In fact, the New Yorker’s origin was in a sub-series of the 1938 Imperial called the New York Special.
The New Yorker name was a natural, as Walter P. Chysler had a special connection to the city as the developer of the Chrysler Building, briefly the tallest building in the world at 1,046 feet. His personal home, the oceanfront estate he named Forker House, was just a short drive away at Kings Point, Long Island. Chrysler died at Forker House in 1940, but the New Yorker name carried on to represent metropolitan style and sophistication for the Chrysler brand.
All together there were 14 product generations of the New Yorker, as they are usually counted, spanning 56 years. For the final iteration, it was based on a slightly stretched version of the cab-forward LH platform, featuring front-wheel drive, a longitudinally mounted 3.5-liter V6 with 214 hp, and disc brakes and independent suspension on all four corners. The official introduction came in spring of 1993 as an early 1994 model, eight months after the rollout of the other LH cars—Dodge Intrepid, Eagle Vision, and Chrysler Concorde—and right alongside a near-twin to the New Yorker, the Chrysler LHS.
Both the New Yorker and the LHS were available in a single body style, a four-door sedan, and except for some differences in trim, equipment, and chassis calibrations, they were essentially the same car. In the Chrysler product scheme, the LHS was positioned as a Euro-flavored touring car, while the New Yorker represented classic American luxury. However, with its more traditional cabin appointments, the New Yorker was priced at a few thousand less than the LHS, so from that angle the New Yorker was no longer the division flagship.
From the sales figures it’s clear that consumer tastes had changed, or at least a younger generation of buyers had taken over the luxury sedan market. While neither model generated huge volume, the sportier LHS outsold the New Yorker by a comfortable margin in both ’94 and ’95, and in ’96 only 3,295 New Yorkers were built, compared to nearly 35,000 for the LHS. Production was halted before the end of the model year, and the New Yorker name hasn’t been seen at Chrysler since.
Walter Chrysler spinning in his grave, Highland Park and Kenosha HQ personnel taking French lessons, a gussied up Renault 25.
The French Connection: Chrysler + Simca + AMC + Renault = ’93 New Yorker…
Technically speaking, the ’93 model year New Yorker was the last of the K-cars.
The ’94 New Yorkers were released spring of ’93…
I always thought that the LH series of cars were the best looking American cars on the road when they came out and the interiors were years ahead of the competition. Google the interior photos of a 1994 Lumina and you will see what I mean. No mouse fur or crappy rectangles with either tiny gauges or ribbon speedometers, these interiors looked European or better. Combined with decent handling and four wheel discs, these should have been hugely successful, but they weren’t. Maybe they were too futuristic for the public, but only a fee years earlier the Taurus was embraced and that was groundbreaking at the time. Again, I think the sloppy build quality was it’s downfall, and that’s too bad.
the LH cars were a sensation when they were new, nothing else on the road looked they did, they really stood out against everything else on the road at the time and Mopar sold a ton of them
My parents had a red ’94 New Yorker identical to the top pic. They bought it after riding in my ’93 Vision TSI. 1st gen LHS cars were very nice-excellent autos. I later had a 2nd Gen Concorde & hated it in comparison. That Vision was comfortable, luxurious, smooth, taut, handled better than the 2 Mustangs I owned after it, & a joy to drive.
Always liked the look of these final New Yorkers. My parents neighbors had one, kind of a deep teal color. Haven’t seen one on the road in years.
Hands down the best looking cars ever from Chrysler . They are my all-time favorite vehicles. I have personally owned 6 first gen LH cars over the years… A red ’94 NYer, a green ’94 LHS, a green ’95 LHS, a wildberry ’95 LHS, a black ’96 NYer, and a black Vision TSi. I had a new 1,992 Chrysler Cirrus ever made (a red ’95 LXi). Also, has a 2nd gen LH, white ’01 300M. The LH cars rode and drove better, looked better, was more luxurious, powerful, and reliable than any luxury car from a domestic maker in those years. I am still in the market to buy one to sit next to my w212 2013 Mercedes E550 Sport 4Matic. But it is hard to find a well-kept example with low miles. When I do, I’m a buyer (again).
From Day 1, I liked the LH cars for their “not front-wheel drive feeling” handling. They regained the Chrysler Feel! Not the generic K-car handling.
I was impressed with the engineering advancements, too. They were my favorite rental cars from Dollar, back then. Great stereos., too, as to sound quality and separation.
The upholstery patterns in the LH NY mimicked the 1969 New Yorker’s split bench, which was neat.
Great cars in Gen 1 and even better in Gen 2.