Jeep was born from a 1940 US Army call for a light reconnaissance car. Its most famous logo isn't a badge but a face: a grille whose seven slots came about because the civilian Jeep needed bigger headlights.
- Country
-
United States - Active
- Since 1941
- Website
- Official website ↗
A war, three bidders and 49 days
Jeep began as a homework assignment from the US Army. In July 1940 the military asked carmakers for a light reconnaissance vehicle to replace its motorcycles and modified Ford Model Ts. It invited 135 manufacturers to bid.
The American Bantam Car Manufacturing Company was one of the first two to answer, and it built its field car in just 49 days. Willys-Overland followed with the Willys Quad, designed by Delmar G. Roos, and Ford offered its Model GP, nicknamed the Pygmy. The Army took delivery of the prototypes at Camp Holabird, Maryland, in November 1940.
After more testing, Willys-Overland was chosen as the main manufacturer. Its Quad became the MA and then the MB, the car Jeep itself calls the first Jeep, built from 1941. Willys made more than 368,000 of them during the war, and Ford built some 277,000 more under licence.
GP, Popeye or both?
Nobody, not even the company, claims to know exactly where the word Jeep came from. Jeep’s own history releases give two popular theories and settle neither. One says soldiers slurred GP, short for General Purpose, into “jeep”. The other says the car was named after Eugene the Jeep, a character in the Popeye cartoon strip.
What is certain is who owned the word. Willys-Overland trademarked the Jeep name after the war and, according to Jeep, obtained the first US trademark registration for it in 1950.
Many owners, one name
The badge outlived a long line of parent companies. Henry J. Kaiser bought Willys-Overland in 1953, and the business became Kaiser Jeep in 1963. During Kaiser’s 16 years, Jeep says, plants were set up in 30 countries. American Motors took over on 5 February 1970, and on 5 August 1987 AMC was sold to Chrysler, where Jeep joined the Jeep/Eagle Division. Since the 2021 merger that created Stellantis, Jeep has been part of that group, run from Auburn Hills, Michigan.
Seven slots and a smile
Jeep’s most famous logo isn’t a badge at all. It’s the front of the car. The brand calls the seven-slot grille its “smile”, and it has been a registered trademark for decades.
It took a few tries to get there. The Willys MA wore a grille of vertical bars. Ford then introduced a stamped steel grille with nine slots, which the Army preferred and standardised on the MB and the Ford GP. When the civilian CJ-2A arrived in 1945, it needed larger headlights to be licensed for the road, so the outer slots were dropped. Seven were left.
For a while the number wandered. The Willys Wagon, Jeep pickup, Wagoneer and Cherokee used anywhere from 8 to 13 slots. According to Jeep, every Jeep model has worn seven slots since 1998.
Why seven? Fans have plenty of answers: seven continents, seven seas, seven summits, the colours of the rainbow. Jeep lists these legends itself, but says there is no official explanation. On the record, the reason is practical, not symbolic: bigger headlights left room for seven.
A grille in court
The grille design was registered as a trademark in 1981, with a claimed first use in 1941, and later versions were registered in 1987 and 1998. The registrations include the round headlamp openings either side. In 2001 DaimlerChrysler tried to stop General Motors selling the Hummer H2, arguing its slotted grille copied Jeep’s. In November 2002 a US appeals court upheld the refusal to block it, finding no real risk that buyers would confuse the two.
Alongside the grille sits the Jeep wordmark, simply the name in capital letters. Jeep is a registered trademark of FCA US LLC, the Stellantis company in the United States.
From the MB to the Grand Cherokee
Every Jeep since the war has carried a little of the MB in its face. These are the cars that shaped the brand.
Landmark Jeeps, decade by decade
- 1941: Willys MB. The military original. Willys built more than 368,000 during the Second World War.
- 1945: CJ-2A. The first civilian Jeep, and the first with seven slots in its grille.
- 1953: CJ-3B. A taller grille and hood made room for the new Hurricane F-head four-cylinder engine.
- 1963: Wagoneer. According to Jeep, the Wagoneer line brought the first automatic transmission in a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
- 1984: Cherokee (XJ). The XJ generation of the Cherokee, built until 2001.
- 1987: Wrangler (YJ). The first generation of the Wrangler.
- 1992: Grand Cherokee. First shown at the Detroit auto show on 7 January 1992.
Jeep’s family tree is a crowded one. Ford built wartime Jeeps under licence, Chrysler owned the brand from 1987, and today Jeep shares the Stellantis garage with Dodge and Fiat. For more old badges, see our classic car logos.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a Jeep grille have seven slots?
The military Jeeps used a nine-slot grille. On the civilian CJ-2A of 1945, larger headlights were needed, so the outer slots were removed and seven remained. Jeep says there is no official symbolic meaning.
Where does the name Jeep come from?
Nobody knows for sure. Jeep’s own history mentions two accounts without confirming either, so the honest answer is that the origin is unresolved. Willys-Overland trademarked the name after the war.
Who built the first Jeep?
Bantam, Willys-Overland and Ford all built prototypes in 1940. The Army chose Willys as the main manufacturer, and Jeep calls the 1941 Willys MB the first Jeep. Ford also built them under licence.
Who owns Jeep today?
Stellantis, formed in 2021. In the US the trademark is held by FCA US LLC, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
From Camp Holabird to Auburn Hills: the seven-slot service record
- Founded
- 1941
- Country
- United States
- Headquarters
- Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA
- Parent company
- Stellantis
- Current emblem
- The seven-slot grille, a registered trademark, used on every Jeep model since 1998, alongside the Jeep wordmark
- Known for
- The Willys MB and four-wheel-drive off-roaders such as the Wrangler
- Website
- Official website ↗
