DaimlerChrysler AG has announced it will discontinue the Jeep Cherokee, which helped build the U.S. popularity of sport-utility vehicles in the 1980s. The company said it will stop building the Cherokee by the middle of this year, shortly after it introduces the Liberty, a smaller but more luxurious SUV. DaimlerChrysler had planned to end production of the Cherokee model in November 2000, but continued production in order to meet marketplace demand. "The Jeep Cherokee has had one the longest and most successful rides in the history of the automotive industry," said Tom Sidlik, DCX executive vice president of procurement and supply and general manager of Jeep operations. "Jeep invented the compact SUV segment with the Cherokee 18 years ago, and with the launch of the all-new Jeep Liberty, we will further enhance and broaden the overall Jeep brand." The Liberty will be built at the company's new Toledo North assembly plant, just down the road from where the Cherokee and Jeep Wrangler are built. The 18-year-old Cherokee was one of the early SUVs that helped spur the popularity of the segment. Last year DaimlerChrysler sold 141,457 Cherokees, a decline of 14 percent from 1999.