By: Shannon Brown

Jeep, is an all-purpose vehicle that is capable of traversing rough terrain. The first jeep prototype was designed by the Department of Army for purposes of carrying personnel and supplies.

Later on, Ford and Willys-Overland produced two more jeep prototypes. In the end, Ford and Willy's-Overland manufactured the first mass production of jeeps.

The origin of the word jeep is not clear, however people believe that the word came from phonetically slurred pronunciation of 'GP' or vehicle for general purpose.

Some people also think that the name for this multi purpose vehicle came from a character in Thimble Theater comic strip Popeye, the character is known as Eugene the Jeep. Eugene the Jeep is a character that could walk through walls and ceilings, climb trees, fly and just go anywhere it wanted.

Early Americans believe that soldiers were so impressed with the versatility of the jeep that they named their prototype from the comic character.

After the production of the first jeep prototype and the second set of jeep prototypes from Ford and Willys-Overland, Willys-Overland Motor Company was designated to produce the first mass production of jeeps in Toledo, Ohio.

However, because of the huge quantity requirement of the United States Government, Ford Motor Company complimented Willys-Overland to help complete the requirements.

In combination, the production of Willys-Overland and Ford reached about 600,000 units of this high mobility multipurpose-wheeled vehicle, which some call hum-vee.

The jeep is widely copied by other countries such as in France and The Netherlands. The french version of the jeep is designed by Hotchkiss and in The Netherlands, Nekaf is the manufacturer of their jeep.

Other versions of the jeep are the railway jeep and the amphibious jeep, which are more useful than any other vehicle of its size.

Part of the war effort brought jeeps to the Red Army during the World War II.

Today, the trademark holder of Jeep is DaimlerChrysler. DaimlerChrysler is the successor of the company Willys-Overland. Jeep aficionados are believed to recognize the distinction of the seven bar grille design of jeep as popular as Mickey Mouse.

DaimlerChrysler also believes that the jeep brand is famous worldwide, second only to the Coke brand. This can be true for those who are lovers of this versatile vehicle.

It is true that jeeps are multipurpose and known worldwide; as in fact, there are also producers of the jeep brand in Beijing, China. This manufacturer did this coming from the joint venture between Beijing Jeep Corporation Ltd., and DaimlerChrysler Corporation located in China.

In addition, other jeep vehicles have different model designation. Some of them are civilian jeep that carries the 'xJ' designation although not all are well-known as the classic CJ or Civilian Jeep.

Historical models of the jeep:

Jeep CJ - Civilian Jeep similar to the original Willys' Jeep
Jeep Gladiator and Jeep Honcho - Full-sized pickup truck
Jeep Cherokee - The original SUV
Jeep Dispatcher - A postal truck for the USPS
Jeep Jeepster - Passenger truck
Jeep Forward Control - Light truck
Jeep Wagoner - SUV

Current Jeep models

Jeep Wrangler - small successor of the Jeep CJ (TJ in Canada)
Jeep Grand Cherokee - large family-oriented SUV
Jeep Liberty - Small SUV (called Cherokee outside of North America)
Jeep Commander - Newest model in the Jeep line, it is a seven passenger SUV

Jeep is a multi-purpose vehicle, which you can use even on rough terrain. It is very helpful to have one especially for those who are using their vehicle for their business. Similiar car when you want to rent a car for your Bali holiday is Suzuki Escudo

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