Jeep Four-Wheel Drive Origin Story
Riley Moore
CEO Of RM4Tech | Co-Creator Of CrowdUltra & DirectSuggest | LinkedIn Top Voice In Employee Engagement, Innovation Development, Event Planning, Team Management, and Employee Relations
Four-wheel drive has evolved into an essential feature of vehicles, significantly influencing purchasing decisions. Four-wheel drive means all four wheels are powered by the car's drivetrain and capable of providing torque, which has many benefits and use cases. 4x4 vehicles can drive through snow and mud, tow far more weight, among many other things two-wheel drive vehicles are not capable of. The widespread adoption of four-wheel drive in consumer vehicles can be attributed to suggestions brought to life.
The Jeep began as solely a military vehicle for the 美国军队 in World War II. Willys Overland Motors bid on the opportunity to partake in rapid production of a lightweight car, and production of the Willys-Overland MB, known as the Jeep, started in 1941. No one knows the true story of the Jeep name, but many people believe it is the phonetic pronunciation of the abbreviation "GP", for "General Purpose".
In the first year of production, Willys-Overland manufactured 8,598 vehicles. Throughout all of World War II, 359,851 Willys MB Jeeps were produced. This volume led to Willys-Overland being in the top fifty corporations producing something for the military. Unfortunately, when the war ended, so did Willys-Overland's huge military contract.
After the war, Willys-Overland was financially struggling and had to figure out how to generate revenue. Via suggestions, they decided to concentrate on selling Jeeps and Jeep-based vehicles to the consumer. Their first product released to consumers after the war was the CJ-2A. This vehicle was a stripped down MB that also included necessary additions for the average driver like a tailgate. Willys-Overland struggled with finding a market for their CJ-2A. They initially tried selling it as a tractor alternative, but it was too light to be a truly useful alternative to a tractor.
Where the CJ-2A found its own popularity was originally with farmers, hunters, and ranchers. The reason for this was that the CJ-2A had four-wheel drive, and these drivers needed it for use on poor-quality roads and trails. Seeing this need in the market and gaining an understanding of their true value, Willys-Overland was now on their way to making an impact in the automobile industry. They were the first manufacturer to place four-wheel drive in the hands of civilians, and were going to make this their focus. Through additional suggestions, Jeep then produced and released the Willys "Jeep" Utility Wagon in 1948, being the first sport utility vehicle, also known as a SUV.
Willys-Overland had an incredible renaissance based on following the ideas of their team and customers. They built one of the most iconic car brands while innovating along the way. SUVs and four-wheel drive have become integral parts of the automotive landscape, with crossover SUVs currently dominating vehicle sales in the United States. The success story of Willys-Overland demonstrates that, especially during challenging times, organizations can benefit and even change the world by listening to employee suggestions and bringing the best ones to fruition.
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