Kaiser Jeep

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Kaiser Jeep

Formerly	Willys Motors (1953–63)
Industry	Automotive
Predecessor	Kaiser Motors Willys-Overland
Founded	1953
Defunct	1970; 54 years ago (1970)
Fate	Bought out by American Motors in 1970
Successor	Jeep[note 1] AM General AMC
Key people	Stephen A. Girard Jr. (president)[1]
Products	Trucks Automobiles Military vehicles Sport utility vehicles

Kaiser Jeep resulted from the 1953 merger of Kaiser Motors, an independent passenger car maker based in Willow Run, Michigan, with the Toledo, Ohio-based Willys-Overland Company.

Willys-Overland had been at one point before World War II the U.S.'s second-largest car-maker after Ford, but their fortunes waned during the 1930s. Willys survived during the war by getting the primary contract to build the U.S. World War II jeeps for the American and Allied armed forces. From 1945, Willys focused almost exclusively on selling Jeep-branded vehicles, both civilian and commercial, as well as government and military jeeps.

For Kaiser, the Jeep brand and its models were considered the crown jewels in the merger with Willys-Overland. In 1955, Kaiser phased out all Kaiser and Willys passenger car lines, and Kaiser (initially still under the name 'Willys Motors') became entirely focused on Jeep products in most markets. In 1963, the company consolidated all corporate holdings under the name of Kaiser Jeep Corporation, discarding the Willys name.

Following this, American Motors Corporation (AMC) negotiated with Kaiser Jeep to purchase the company. The deal was finalized in 1970, and Kaiser Jeep became "Jeep Corporation," a wholly owned subsidiary of AMC.

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