Jeep History

Jeep History

Jeep® is one of the most iconic brands in the United States, and it’s been an important part of the auto industry since its inception. Jeep® famously got its start on the battlefields of World War II, as the army needed a tough off-road vehicle to get around. After the war, the American public fell in love with the rugged, affordable SUV.

Early Years: In the Army

One theory goes that the Jeep® name actually comes from the acronym used by the army to describe its “general purpose,” or “GP” vehicle. The US Army commissioned a GP vehicle to replace horses and motorcycles on the battlefield, desiring an affordable, off-road capable vehicle. The American Bantam Car Company was the first to develop what would later become the Jeep® Wrangler. In later years, Willys Overland (and at one point, Ford) were contracted to mass produce this vehicle.

After the Army

Willys took the basic design — then called the MB — and used it to create the CJ-2A (the “CJ” stands for “Civilian Jeep”). This model was eventually replaced by the Wrangler, and it retains many of the original features, like a slotted grille, bare-bones exterior look, and round headlights. Through the 1950s and 1960s, the Willys was absorbed by Kaiser to create Kaiser-Jeep, which was bought by AMC in 1969. By 1987, AMC was bought by Chrysler. It was in the 1980s that the brand also created models like the Cherokee and the XJ — which would later become the Liberty.

Today

Following the SUV-boom of the 1990s and early 2000s, the Jeep® brand took off. By 2008, we saw the first Grand Cherokee SRT, a high-performance SUV that was track-ready. And, in 2017, the brand introduced the Trackhawk, one of the fastest SUVs on the market. While Jeep® now offers a variety of models like the Cherokee, Renegade, Grand Cherokee, Compass, and Gladiator, it still offers the classic Wrangler.

No company makes dependable, rugged off-road vehicles quite like Jeep®. Explore the automaker’s latest lineup and the features that make modern Jeep® cars so good at Rothrock Motors.

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