Liberty successor to debut in 2nd quarter of '13

The Fiat-based replacement for the Jeep Liberty will begin rolling off its assembly line in Toledo, Ohio, in the second quarter of 2013, while the current Liberty ends production on Thursday, Aug. 16, Chrysler Group said last week.

Chrysler has produced nearly 400,000 units of the current Liberty, code-named KK, in its Toledo plant over the past five years. It also produced 1,270,505 units of the smaller, previous version of the Liberty, code-named KJ, between its introduction in 2001 and 2007.

The Liberty's successor -- which Chrysler executives have said will either keep the Liberty name or revert to the Cherokee nameplate of the Liberty's predecessor -- will share the same Fiat-based platform as the 2013 Dodge Dart. It will have a 3.2-liter V-6 engine and a nine-speed transmission.

Chrysler Group's Toledo North assembly plant, where the Liberty's successor will be built, is undergoing a $500 million renovation that will add about 300,000 square feet to the facility's 3.6 million square feet. The Liberty is produced on the plant's unibody line, while the Jeep Wrangler is produced on the body-on-frame line.