Jeep Commander

Anyone that is familiar with vehicles of the past or present is familiar with the Jeep name. While Jeep is little more than a brand name to some the Jeep vehicles are some of the oldest mass produced vehicles. Others credit Jeep with the beginning of what would become the sport utility vehicle. Despite changes in consumer expectations and market value Jeep has continued to be successful and has carved a place for itself in automobile history.

The Jeep Name
Where exactly the name Jeep came from is a bit of a controversial subject. Many claim that the name came from the original designation for the vehicle, which was GP, short for General purpose. Over time GP was pronounced jeep. This explanation for the Jeep name was later disputed and it was said that Jeeps were never referred to as general purpose and the GP was in reference to the Jeep’s governmental use and the 80 inch wheelbase.

Those would both appear to be great explanations, but there are more! Many claim that the vehicle was named after a comic strip character that could walk through walls and ceilings, climb up trees, and even fly! It’s said that the vehicle was named Jeep by soldiers who were impressed by the vehicles handling capabilities, but this cannot be confirmed as the true story behind the Jeep name.

The Jeep name is also said to have come from World War I when soldiers called new recruits and vehicles that have not proven themselves worthy Jeeps. Perhaps this was the origin, yet this cannot be confirmed as being the true influence on the name of the vehicle. What is known is that when the first test vehicles arrived at Camp Holabird it did not have a name and soldiers referred to them as jeeps. By 1942 the dictionary of military slang has Jeep being listed as a four wheel drive car!

Designing the Jeep
The first prototypes of the Jeep were built explicitly for the Department of the Army by American Bantam. While American Bantam developed the design for the Army the company was too small to mass produce the vehicles so the project was given to Willys and Ford. The Army received several thousand test vehicles and the contact was officially given to Ford and Willys who offered the lowest bid, and soon named their model MB. To improve the rate at which the vehicles could be manufactured the government ordered that the vehicles should be made at the Ford Motor Company, and the model was then known as the GPW which indicated that it was a military vehicle, had a wheelbase of 80 inches, and was of the Willys design.

Jeeps are now built by a division of DaimlerChrysler and the term Jeep is trademarked by them. DaimlerChrysler is a successor to the Willys Company. The Jeep marque has seen many changes since the development of the vehicle, yet this particular vehicle has continued to do quite well. While Jeep vehicles currently have more consumer friendly names it is interesting to note that all of the vehicles still have model designations just like the earlier Jeeps.

The Jeep Today
The Jeep is one of the few vehicles that have been able to make the cross over from military use to mass market use. In fact, the Jeep Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, Wrangler, Commander, and Liberty are some of the first images that come to mind when consumers today hear the term Jeep. Unlike generations of the past most people now correlate the name with average consumer vehicles, not military vehicles. While the Jeep has become a household name and a vehicle that you can see parked in any driveway it still has some awesome capabilities. While the Jeep can come fully loaded with every luxury feature that you could ever want, it can still climb hills, cross over rough terrain, and even tow large items such as campers, other vehicles, and boats.

Jeep is said to be going through a time of transition. In the future consumers can expect to not only see truck based sport utility vehicles from the marque but also compact vehicles and even cars. This is a prime example of why Jeep has been able to stand the test of time from World War I until current times, because they continually change with the times and meet the needs of the consumer, whoever that may be.