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Jeep 1941 - 2001

The Original 4x4 Sport Utility vehicle is now 60 years old. Here we chart the meteoric rise from a military drawing board to one of the best selling off-road vehicles of all time.

1990-2001 SETTING NEW BENCHMARKS:

The Jeep vehicle lineup entered the 1990s in its strongest position in history. On March 22, 1990, the one millionth Jeep XJ-a red 1990 Cherokee Limited-was driven off the line at Toledo Assembly. In its seven years of production, not only had the Jeep Cherokee become the preeminent vehicle of its kind, but also Chrysler Corporation's best seller among its exports to Europe.

As Jeep entered its 50th year Cherokee strengthened its leadership role with the addition of the new 190 horsepower high-output 4.0-liter PowerTech Six engine.

The 1991 model year also marked the reemergence of a Jeep performance model from the early 1970s. The 1991 Jeep Renegade represented the ultimate Wrangler. It's 180 horsepower high-output 1-6 engine, optional on other Wrangler models, was easily the most powerful in its class.

As Jeep entered its second fifty years, two vehicles were retired: Grand Wagoneer, with it's roots and looks dating back to 1962, in 1991; and the Comanche pickup truck in 1992.

Meanwhile, new and innovative products were in the works to keep Jeep king of the hill. None was more important than a vehicle Chrysler had codenamed ZJ. While relatively few all-new Jeeps have been introduced over the past 50 years, each one has raised the ante for other manufacturers in the sport utility market-from CJ to Grand Wagoneer to Cherokee. ZJ represented the eighth new platform of Jeep vehicles and the second

vehicle developed under Chrysler's Platform Team Approach. Chrysler's platform teams bring together, at the genesis of the project, the designers, engineers, manufacturing experts, suppliers and marketeers - all of the people and talents needed to completely develop a vehicle.

The Jeep Platform Team's challenge was to create a vehicle that represented the new benchmark in sport utility vehicles. ZJ's real name would be Jeep Grand Cherokee and the target audience would be an exacting audience of typically upscale buyers with high expectations who often based vehicle requirements, including safety, handling, ride and comfort, on the other cars in their garage. Those vehicles were most often high-priced luxury import and specialty cars.

While other sport utility vehicles continued to be derived from truck platforms, the Grand Cherokee would represent an all-new, built from the ground up sport utility. The Team had six objectives with Grand Cherokee-make it the highest quality Jeep vehicle ever; create a fresh new appearance while maintaining a strong Jeep identity; improve the interior package without creating an unsuitably large exterior; maintain Jeep performance superiority and four-wheel-drive system leadership; improve on-road ride and handling without compromising off-road capability and performance; and provide premium safety and convenience features expected by those upscale buyers.

Setting a new benchmark also meant holding true to a heritage of "Jeep exclusives" with the world's first standard driver-side air bag in a sport utility vehicle and the new Quadra-Trac all-the-time, four-wheel-drive transfer case.

To help the Grand Cherokee achieve its lauded goals, Chrysler decided to pull out all the stops when it came to where the vehicle would be built. The company invested a total of $1 billion in constructing, equipping and preparing the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in the heart of Detroit, Michigan for the new Grand Cherokee. The state-of-the-art facility was built adjacent to the site of Chrysler's former Jefferson Avenue Assembly Plant. Ironically, the "old" Jefferson plant had first assembled Chalmers Motor cars way back in 1907, the year Willys-Overland built its first vehicle. While half the size (about 1.75 million square feet) of its predecessor, Jefferson North can produce roughly the same volume (more than 300,000 units) of far more complex vehicles.

At its media introduction on January 7, 1992, the new Jeep Grand Cherokee was poised to not only take on the sport utility world, but a convention center as well. Chrysler President, Robert A. Lutz drove the first official vehicle off the line at Jefferson North, through the streets of Detroit, up the granite steps and THROUGH the glass walls of Cobo Center, site of the 1992 North American International Auto Show. "That was one helluva ride!," Lutz told the hundreds of journalists on hand. 'But that's to be expected, because Grand Cherokee is one helluva vehicle!"

Soon after the introduction, Chrysler learned that Grand Cherokee was indeed the success it had planned, including winning Motor Trend magazine's 'Truck of the Year Award," Four Wheeler magazine's 'Four Wheeler of the Year," and 4Wheel & Off-Road magazine's "4x4 of the Year" for 1993. However, as it was targeted, Grand Cherokee appealed to a different audience than it's truck-oriented competitors with a significantly higher preference among import car owners and a higher preference among women. The latter was especially important as women buyers represented one of the fastest growing segments of the sport utility market.

As Chrysler approached the mid-part of the decade, the Jeep Platform Team set its sights on the next major challenges: reaffirming Grand Cherokee's position as the benchmark in the compact sport utility market and replacing Jeep Wrangler.

For the 1996 model year, Grand Cherokee was virtually redone in terms of powertrain, chassis and steering, electrical and electronic systems, as well as the interior. The most visually evident changes were made in the cabin with an all-new instrument panel and displays. The switches and controls were better positioned within the driver's sightline and reach, while the overall ergonomics were greatly improved. Safety enhancements included standard dual air bags with a "seamless" passenger-side design and adjustable front- and rear outboard shoulder belt height.

Powertrain refinements were highlighted in the 4.0-liter 1-6 engine and the Quadra-Trac all-wheel-drive-system. The engine received new state-of-the-art aluminium pistons, a stiffer block, a revised camshaft profile and valve cover isolation. The net result for the customer was a quieter and more responsive engine. The Quadra-Trac all-wheel-drive system was improved to make it capable of providing any ratio of power "on demand" -virtually from zero to 100 percent - to the front and rear axles. Under normal, dry-pavement operating conditions, the system delivers 100 percent of power to the rear axle. Before the improvement, that power split was 50-50. The increased flexibility improved driveability on-road and increased traction in both on- and off-road driving.

With the successful completion of the Grand Cherokee redo, the Team prepared for the launch of the replacement for Wrangler, the quintessential Jeep vehicle.

In its ninth and final model year, Wrangler continued to capture about half of the U.S. small sport utility market. Although it was enjoying a unique and powerful image versus it's international competition, as well as a record sales year in 1994, those competitors were beginning to up the challenge with a growing number of new models.

The goal of a Wrangler replacement would be the same as the one set for the Grand Cherokee-set another new benchmark in the industry-but the circumstances were different. Wrangler is the direct descendent of the original World War II Jeep and is recognized around the world as an American icon. It's appeal is unique in the market, defining 'Jeepness."

A replacement would have to maintain the legendary heart and soul position as the icon of the Jeep Brand, only better. The challenge for the Team was twofold-reaffirm the vehicle's position as the ultimate, no-compromise, go-anywhere off-road vehicle and American icon, while at the same time significantly improve the safety, overall refinement, off-road capacity and on-road ride, handling and performance. One thing would remain the same: the name Wrangler.

The benchmark for performance and functional capability was a look inward to the original Wrangler and the prior CJ models. The objectives were greater off-highway capability with increased operating comfort and improved ride quality on normal paved roads. Competitive sport utility vehicles were bench-marked for comfort and convenience attributes and the objectives included a more ergonomic interior that was both friendlier and easier to use, better accommodations for front and rear passengers, and improved rear entry and exit. To improve vehicle safety, the Team followed the benchmark established by the Grand Cherokee. The result is a Wrangler with an all-new suspension, improved ergonomics, an all-new easy-to-operate soft top, an all-new instrument panel and standard dual air bags.

Production of the new Wrangler begins in January 1996 in Toledo, Ohio, in the same facility that in 1941 began building one of the most unique, legendary and loved vehicles in history. In the spring of 1996, the men and women of Toledo also will begin building right-hand-drive versions of the new Wrangler for sale in Japan, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia and other countries.

The new Wrangler will be further evidence that Jeep vehicles are Chrysler's lead brand in opening international markets. In nearly every new market Chrysler enters, Jeep vehicles are first onto shore. In fact, the first American-made right-hand-drive vehicle exported to Japan was the 1993 Jeep Cherokee and today, one out of every three Cherokees built in Toledo are exported.

Replace "Willys" with "Chrysler" and the World War II slogan, "The sun never sets on the Willys-built Jeep," is as relevant today as it was more than half a century ago. Jeep is the most recognized brand worldwide, with sales in more than 100 countries. In addition to Grand Cherokee in Detroit and Cherokee and the new Wrangler in Toledo, Jeep vehicles are assembled in Austria, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Venezuela. Before the end of the decade, plants in Argentina and Vietnam will also be proud homes to Jeep vehicles. When right-hand-drive Wrangler production begins, it will mark the first time in history that all Jeep models will be offered in either driving configurations, as well as both gasoline and diesel engine models of Cherokee and Grand Cherokee.

As Chrysler approaches the 21st Century, it does so with the newest, most competitive Jeep vehicle lineup in one of the fastest growing segments of the worldwide market. By the time the Jeep Cherokee is renewed for the 1997 model year, the "oldest" vehicle in the Jeep lineup will be the Grand Cherokee, renewed for the 1996 model year.

Remember what Willys-Overland officials said in 1946: "The Jeep of the future is still evolving and will continue to evolve as new uses are found for it."It seems that the more things change with Jeep-and they have for more than 50 years-the more they stay the same.

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