Is Jeep a car brand or model?

Jeep may be the most familiar car model so far. If we don’t recognize a car, if its appearance is powerful enough and its tires are big enough, we might as well call it ---- Jeep! This infringes on Chrysler's intellectual property rights to some extent, because only they have the right to use the Jeep name. This is of course a joke. But it also shows the popularity of Jeep.

To fully understand the ins and outs of the Jeep model, let us first set the clock back to 66 years ago.

The prototype of Jeep

As early as 1938, when war broke out in Western Europe, the U.S. military stated to all automobile manufacturers in the United States that they were looking for a vehicle to perform communications and advance reconnaissance missions. The new vehicle replaces the traditional three-wheeled motorcycle. By the summer of 1940, the military was looking for a universal vehicle. The new vehicle should be lightweight, easy to drive, strong, reliable, safe and agile to operate, and its design specifications must meet the requirements set by the military. Three companies responded: Willys, Ford, and Bantam.

Willys and Ford produced prototypes based on the Bantam design provided to them by the military. Based on Bantam's design, changes and improvements were made to the Willys 'Quad' and Ford's 'Pygmy' prototypes respectively. Because the engine of Willys's prototype was too large, the weight of the vehicle greatly exceeded the body weight specified by the military. Unexpectedly, Willys was a blessing in disguise. Later, the military raised the limit on body weight. The Willys equipped with the powerful engine "Go Devil" became the only vehicle that met the military's horsepower regulations. Maybe this is a little joke played by history. However, because Bantam was a small car company with unsaleable products and was about to go bankrupt, while Willis Automobile Company was relatively strong, the military finally handed over the order to Willis because the U.S. military needed it in a short time. A large number of vehicles were produced.

This model was an instant hit on the battlefield because it was versatile, adaptable, with interchangeable parts and low cost. The word "Jeep" gradually came into being during this period. However, there is no unified statement about its origin. There are two versions that have been passed down to this day:

The first statement can be traced back to the 19th century. A comic strip character from the 1930s, a rather naughty, slender little animal named Eugenia Jeep. Eugenia Jeep likes to run around, is resourceful and brave, and is good at dealing with all kinds of sudden dangers and often saves the day - just like a Jeep.

According to others, the pronunciation of "Jeep" comes from the name of a quarter-ton U.S. Army reconnaissance vehicle - "General Purpose" The effect of continuous pronunciation of the initial letter "GP" of two English words.

While the war was raging, the shrewd Willys Company realized the huge appeal of the name 'Jeep' and lost no time in registering it as its own trademark. From then on, the word 'Jeep' became the name of a car brand and was no longer limited to referring to a specific type of car.

Off-road vehicles are internationally referred to as G-type vehicles, which refer to vehicles that are suitable for adapting to harsh road environments and driving in the wild. Suitable for harsh environments such as climbing and wading. Off-road vehicles usually use four-wheel drive, and their chassis and suspension designs are significantly different from ordinary cars. Such as Beijing Jeep, Cherokee, etc.

Off-road vehicles are members of the military vehicle family, and most of them have certain off-road driving capabilities. In other words, these cars can drive on poor quality roads or areas and battlefields with no roads at all, so they have the ability to "endure hardships and stand hard work". Later, in order to meet the needs of combat, a military vehicle with stronger off-road capabilities appeared, which is commonly known as a military off-road vehicle.

Off-road vehicles have three brothers, each with different overall load capacity. Those with a large load capacity are called heavy-duty off-road vehicles; those with a small load-carrying capacity are called light off-road vehicles; and those between light and heavy are called medium-sized off-road vehicles.

Off-road vehicles are generally all-wheel drive. In addition to 4-wheel and 8-wheel all-drive vehicles, there are also 6-wheel drive off-road vehicles. Their outstanding advantages are their large load capacity and strong off-road capabilities. As a medium-sized off-road vehicle with 6-wheel full drive, it can carry 7 tons, has a maximum speed of 90 kilometers per hour, and can climb a 60° slope.

Full drive means that after one wheel slips in the mud, the other wheels can still drive the car out of the predicament, otherwise it will have to be towed.