The large Chrysler 300 sedan (top) is set for a mild facelift next year as is the smaller Dodge Avenger (middle) and its equally lacklustre platform sister, the Chrysler Sebring; meanwhile Jeep's Compass (bottom) is one of a whole swathe of poorly regarded current Chrysler Group models set to get the chop.

With less than a week to go until Fiat unveils its five-year product plan for Chrysler, scheduled for next Wednesday, major details have begun to leak, with The Wall Street Journal building a picture of the plan from briefings with insiders.

First out of the box next year will be a facelift for the Dodge Charger and a replacement for its full-size stablemate, the Chrysler 300, with both cars retaining their existing ‘LX’ platform underpinnings. The new Jeep Grand Cherokee, previewed at the Detroit Motor Show in January and sharing Mercedes-Benz’s ML architecture, will also arrive next year. The chassis will also underpin a new unibody Dodge Ram Durango as an effective replacement for the seven-seat Jeep Commander, earmarked for the chop next year. The New York Times reported today the Grand Cherokee would also form the basis for an Alfa SUV, built in the US alongside the Jeep.

The Commander will be far from the only product to be discontinued, with a string of models set to die by 2012. Amongst those to face the axe will include Chrysler’s decade-old PT Cruiser, Dodge’s Dakota compact pickup, and the poorly-received mid-size Dodge Avenger, introduced onto the market less than three years ago. Jeep will also lose the Compass and Patriot models, although a compact Jeep is due to replace these two models in 2013-14.

The new Jeep will be based on Fiat engineering, as will the replacement for Chrysler’s poor-selling Sebring sedan. The latter is expected to borrow heavily from the style of the widely-praised 200C EV concept car unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show earlier this year. The plan will also propose a replacement for the unloved Dodge Caliber compact, likewise making use of Fiat platforms and drivetrains, which will be sold under the Chrysler brand.

Conversely, the plan sees a drastic reduction in the Dodge model range. As well as the Caliber, Dodge will lose the Nitro, and by 2015, the Grand Caravan MPV. This would leave the Dodge car brand (as distinct from the ‘Dodge Ram’ division, created to sell trucks) with only the facelifted Charger full-size sedan, crossover Journey, and niche Challenger and Viper muscle cars. Following Mercedes-Benz’s announcement it would no longer supply Dodge with its Sprinter van to rebadge and sell in North America, Dodge Ram will see its van range plugged with models taken from the Fiat Professional and Iveco units.

Long-awaited in the US, the Fiat 500 is scheduled to be built in Mexico for the American market. Set to be sold from Chrysler dealerships, the 500 range will include a full complement of derivatives, such as the convertible 500C and Abarth options. Also returning to the US is Alfa Romeo, with the WSJ suggesting both the Grande Punto-based MiTo and the new 147-replacing Milano will be part of the lineup. They will be followed by the Giulia, the replacement for the mid-size 159.