Chrysler reveals new 2014 Jeep Cherokee

Chrysler Group revealed photographs and the name of its replacement for the Jeep Liberty on Friday after unofficial photographs of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee showed up earlier in the day.

The automaker had hoped to keep the mid-size SUV -- and its name -- secret until a planned reveal at the New York auto show in late March. However, photos of several 2014 Cherokees taken during pre-production at Chrysler's Toledo North Assembly plant were unveiled Friday morning on the site Jalopnik.com.

The automaker released few details Friday in revealing the name, but included four official photos of the new vehicle and said it will begin arriving in dealerships in the third quarter.

Automotive News has previously reported that the Cherokee would be powered by a 3.2-liter V6 engine based on Chrysler's 3.6-liter Pentastar engine, as well as an all-new nine-speed front-wheel-drive automatic transmission designed by ZF Friedrichshafen.

The Cherokee is scheduled to go into production in May.

Online reaction to the leaked photographs was less than stellar. Late Friday afternoon, Ralph Gilles, Chrysler's head of design, tweeted "have faith" to a Jeep enthusiast who had expressed disappointment with the design.

"We are shifting some paradigms around ... it is time," Gilles tweeted.

By Larry P. Vellequette- Automotive News