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Much of the vehicle could be assembled from off-the-shelf automotive parts, and custom four-wheel drivetrain components were to be supplied by Spicer. Bantam's bid was submitted on July 22, complete with blueprints.
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Probst drafted the full plans in just two days for the Bantam prototype known as the BRC or Bantam Reconnaissance Car, working up a cost estimate the next day. After turning down Bantam's initial request, Probst responded to an Army request and began work on July 17, 1940, initially without salary. American Bantam had only a small staff with nobody to draft the vehicle plans, so chief engineer Harold Crist hired Karl Probst, a talented freelance designer from Detroit. Willys asked for more time, but was refused. The Army set a seemingly impossible deadline of 49 days to supply a working prototype. Only two companies responded: American Bantam Car Company and Willys-Overland. When it became clear that the United States would be involved in the European theater of World War II, the Army contacted 135 companies to create working prototypes of a four-wheel drive reconnaissance car. In Iceland, the word Jeppi (derived from Jeep) has been used since WWII and is still used for any type of SUV. In lowercase, the term "jeep" continues to be used as a generic term for vehicles inspired by the Jeep that are suitable for use on rough terrain. Īt least two Jeep models (the CJ-5 and the SJ Wagoneer) enjoyed extraordinary three-decade production runs of a single body generation. With its solid axles and open top, the Wrangler has been called the Jeep model that is as central to the brand's identity as the 911 is to Porsche. Its replacement, the conceptually consistent Jeep Wrangler series, has remained in production since 1986. The Jeep marque has been headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, ever since Willys–Overland launched production of the first CJ or Civilian Jeep branded models there in 1945. Many Jeep variants serving similar military and civilian roles have since been designed in other nations.
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Doug Stewart noted: "The spartan, cramped, and unstintingly functional jeep became the ubiquitous World War II four-wheeled personification of Yankee ingenuity and cocky, can-do determination." It is the precursor of subsequent generations of military light utility vehicles such as the Humvee, and inspired the creation of civilian analogs such as the original Series I Land Rover. The term became common worldwide in the wake of the war. The Jeep became the primary light 4-wheel-drive vehicle of the United States Armed Forces and the Allies during World War II, as well as the postwar period. Army slang for new recruits or vehicles, but the World War II "jeep" that went into production in 1941 specifically tied the name to this light military 4x4, arguably making them the oldest four-wheel drive mass-production vehicles now known as SUVs. Prior to 1940 the term "jeep" had been used as U.S.
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Christian Meunier is the current President of the Jeep brand worldwide. alone, over 2400 dealerships hold franchise rights to sell Jeep-branded vehicles, and if Jeep were spun off into a separate company, it is estimated to be worth between $22 and $33.5 billion-slightly more than all of FCA (US). Jeep sold 1.4 million SUVs globally in 2016, up from 500,000 in 2008, two-thirds of which in North America, and was Fiat-Chrysler's best selling brand in the U.S. Some of Jeep's vehicles-such as the Grand Cherokee-reach into the luxury SUV segment, a market segment the 1963 Wagoneer is considered to have started. Previously, Jeep's range included other pick-ups, as well as small vans, and a few roadsters.
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Jeep's current product range consists solely of sport utility vehicles-both crossovers and fully off-road worthy SUVs and models, including one pickup truck. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Motors Corporation (AMC). Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis.
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