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![]() Willys Factory in Toledo, Ohio, c. 1915 | |
Company type | Private |
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Industry | Automotive |
Founded | 31 May 1908 |
Founder | John Willys |
Defunct | 1953 |
Fate | Merged into Kaiser Jeep |
Successor | Kaiser Jeep |
Headquarters | , U.S. |
Products | |
Brands | |
Subsidiaries |
Willys (pronounced /ˈwɪlɪs/, "Willis"[2])[5] [1] was a brand name used by Willys–Overland Motors, an American automobile company, founded by John North Willys. It was best known for its design and production of World War II–era military jeeps (MBs), Willys M38 and M38A1 military jeeps as well as civilian versions (Jeep CJs), and branding the 'jeep' military slang-word into the '(Universal) Jeep' marque.
In 1952, as Willys-Overland Motors was preparing for the 50th anniversary of the first Overland cars, The [Toledo] Blade declared: 'It's "Willis."' – A number of reporters and editors at the time had known Mr. Willys personally.
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: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) "Ron Szymanski, Jeep Historian (on-screen credit)", from time 11:05
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