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These cars are headed to the Great Crusher In The Sky

It happens every year. We bid adieu to some cars and trucks that will be missed, and say good riddance to others wondering how they stayed around so long. Whether they're being killed off for slow sales or due to a new product coming along to replace them, the list of vehicles being discontinued after 2012 is surprisingly long and diverse.
CNN Money has compiled a list of departing vehicles, to which we've added a few more of our own. In the slow sales column, cars like the Lexus HS 250h, Mercedes-Benz R-Class and the full Maybach lineup appear, while the Ford Escape Hybrid, Mazda CX-7 and Hyundai Veracruz are all having their gaps filled with more modern and more fuel-efficient alternatives. Obvious exceptions to the rule include models that still sell in decent numbers like the Jeep Liberty and the Chrysler Town & Country (which will eventually be replaced by a crossover-like vehicle).
Check out our gallery of discontinued cars above, then scroll down for more information.

Watch this 650-hp Hennessey Jeep Grand Cherokee go from 0-60 in 3.9 seconds

Hennessey Performance Engineering has created an HPE650 package for the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT fitted with the 6.4-liter Hemi engine. When it leaves the showroom floor it has 470 horsepower and gets from 0-60 miles per hour in 4.8 seconds. When it leaves Hennessey's garage floor after the upgrade it has 650 horsepower - 530 hp at the wheels, according to Hennessey - and gets to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds on its way to running the quarter-mile in 12.6 seconds.
There's more than just a Roots-type supercharger bolt-on, with ported cylinder heads and high-flow headers among the many changes made to the engine. You can watch this pre-2014 facelift silver model prove its spec sheet on the drag strip in the video below.

Jeep Liberty replacement takes shape

Now that the Liberty has left us for greener pastures, it's time to start looking into the future of the midsize Jeep model. The next all-new vehicle for the off-road brand will be the SUV you see here, effectively replacing the Liberty, and not necessarily carrying on with that name.
From the sides, the prototype you see here sort of looks like a miniature version of the handsome Grand Cherokee, albeit with a bit more in the way of body sculpting. Up front, the seven-slat grille will be front and center, with completely revised headlamp designs that are reportedly angular and sweep well into the front fenders (you can sort of see what we're talking about in the side profile). That doesn't sound very Jeep-like, but we'll reserve judgment until we, you know, see the thing.
The bigger question with the Liberty replacement will be whether or not its off-road chops will be up to snuff. After all, the two previous generations of Liberty models were body-on-frame traditional SUVs, whereas this new Jeep rides on a larger version of the Dodge Dart platform.