Jeep was born during the Second World War, when American forces fighting in Europe felt the need for a vehicle that could “go anywhere, do anything.”
Three companies—American Bantam, Willys-Overland and Ford—collaborated and the result was the Jeep. These vehicles were so successful in navigating war-ravaged Europe that the Allies hailed these as “the saviour of WW-2.”
In 1950, Willys obtained registration for Jeep trademark. Since then, the ownership passed from Willys to Kaiser to American Motors to Chrysler.
Today, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) owns it.
The most famous Jeep vehicles:
Willys Quad (1940): Called the first Jeep, the Quad was a prototype (named for the 4×4 system it featured). Only two prototypes were made.
Willys MB (1941-45): The design of the MB has inspired so many models made by different automakers across the world that it has made ‘jeep’ a common noun. Even today, many Mahindra vehicles are called jeep.
Jeep Wagoneer (1960-69): The Wagoneer represented unparalleled refinement. The Jeep brand line-up grew to include 14 models.
Jeep Cherokee SJ (1970-79): It got the now-popular full-time 4×4 system for the first time.
Jeep Cherokee XJ (1980-89): It introduced many industry firsts: the first compact 4-door SUV, first UniFrame construction, and first full-time 4×4 system with shift-on-the-fly capability.
Jeep Grand Cherokee and Rubicon (1990-2009): Both these were the most capable vehicles ever produced by the Jeep brand.
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Jeep Compass (2010-present): The period saw the launch of new-age Jeep vehicles such as the all-new Grand Cherokee, Renegade and Compass, and now the Meridian in India.
India journey
In 2016, FCA brought the brand to India, by importing Wrangler Unlimited, Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee SRT as completely build units. But high import duties meant these were prohibitively expensive. In 2017, the company started local manufacturing, the Compass to begin with, at its Ranjangaon plant near Pune.
In 2022, FCA India will launch the Meridian.
All Jeep vehicles have a high hip-point seating, high centre of gravity, high ground clearance and are equipped with one of the world’s best four-wheel-drive systems for navigating rough roads or the lack of these.
While its vehicles are great at navigation, FCA India is still struggling to successfully navigate the tough Indian market.
