It looks like Fiat SpA officially completed the purchase of most of Chrysler’s assets today, meaning the Jeep brand will change hands once again. Jeep vehicles have a long history of durability but the brand is just as resilient.
Jeep has survived multiple ownerships in its time and has been built by license to handful of others.
American Bantam (first prototype 1940)
Willys-Overland (1941. Ford even built a good share of GPWs to meet the government’s wartime demand. More than 600,000 Willys MB and Ford GPWs were built in this era).
Willys sold to Kaiser in 1953. Kaiser became Kaiser-Jeep 10 years after that.
American Motors, aka AMC bought the Jeep brand in 1970
Renault got involved in 1979 as an investor and parts supplier
Chrysler took over in 1987 then merged with Daimler-Benz in 1998 and became DaimlerChrysler.
Is that six or seven times it changed hands now? Like I said. It's a resilient brand.
The involvement of Fiat will also bring some Euro Fiat and Alfa Romeo models to the U.S, including some SUVs, by 2011. The Euro models will be sold under the Chrysler and Dodge badge. One SUV model that may be offered is the Fiat Panda Cross which gets 40 mpg using a 1.3L turbo diesel. Don’t expect much in 4WD equipment, however. From its looks it’s closer in design to the Jeep Compass than it is the Wrangler.
Aside from the Fiat and Alfa Romeo brands, Fiat SpA also owns/produces the Lancia, Fiat Professional (light commercial vehicles), and Abarth brands. Maserati and Ferrari are also part of the Fiat Group.
The Fiat Group is also involved in the production and manufacture of agricultural and construction equipment (Case New Holland and Kobelco brands), trucks and commercial vehicles (a complete range of commercial vehicles under the Iveco brand, buses under the Irisbus brand, and fire-fighting and special purpose vehicles under the Iveco, Astra and Magirus brands), components and production systems (including FPT Powertrain Technologies, Magnetti Marelli, Teksid, and Comau), and even the publishing and communications realm publishing Turin (Torino), Italy’s, daily newspaper.
Fiat will have its hands full for sure. But Jeep will survive. Why start quitting now?