Jeep is priming the next-generation Cherokee for launch next year, with the new-look SUV set to offer the choice of petrol or electric power.

It's set to be a close relationship of the flagship Jeep Wagoneer S EV, making the switch to Stellantis’s STLA Large platform.

Indeed, the new Cherokee shares several design cues with the Wagoneer S, including a sloping roofline, squared-off haunches, rear doors set into the wheel arches and doorhandles recessed into the body.

Up front, however, the Cherokee is expected to feature a more prominent variant of Jeep’s seven-slot grille than that on the Wagoneer S.

And at the rear, it appears to have a boxier tailgate and larger lights than the Wagoneer S, suggesting a look familiar from the Grand Cherokee.

The appearance of a tailpipe suggests that the prototype packs an internal combustion engine, rather than a battery-electric powertrain.

It's possible that this is the twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre ‘Hurricane’ straight six from the petrol-powered Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, offered with outputs of 420bhp and 510bhp.

An electric Cherokee is set to follow after the launch of the petrol model, likely borrowing the 600bhp dual-motor, four-wheel-drive powertrain from the Wagoneer S.

This is paired with a 118kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery in that car, giving it a range of 303 miles (according to the US’s EPA test, which is less lenient than the WLTP regimen used in Europe). 

The new Cherokee will slot into Jeep’s range between the new Compass (due this year) and the Wagoneer S.

The Grand Cherokee will be pulled from sale in Europe in the coming months to make room for the Wagoneer S.

A similar decision may be made for the Wrangler when the upcoming Recon EV lands in Europe next year.