The Jeep has been around for over seventy years and has been produced in Toledo, Ohio since 1941. It was in that year that the first unique vehicles rolled off the assembly line headed for Europe and the Pacific Wars. It has been noted most everywhere that the Jeep played a major role in the Allied victory in World War Two.
New York City based Brand Keys, a branding and marketing firm took a survey of 4,500 random Americans to try and determine what they considered to be the most patriotic American brands of all time.
At the end of the balloting, Jeep turned out to be the most popular and well known of American brands considered to be patriotic in nature. Only two automakers made the cut in the top 25 with Ford being the other coming in a distant 16th to number one Jeep.
Brand Keys commented that it was a unique survey and one that they felt had importance. They wanted to measure just how emotionally attached Americans were to a particular brand in light of patriotic emotion and fervor. The top score that a particular brand could achieve was 100. Jeep came in with an overwhelming score of 98. The following rounds out the Top 25 Most Patriotic Brands according to the Brand Keys survey:
1 – Jeep
2 – Hershey
3 – Coca Cola
4 – Levi Strauss
5 – Walt Disney Company
6 – Colgate-Palmolive
7 – Zippo
8 – Wrigley’s
9 – Ralph Lauren
10 – Kodak
11 – Gillette
12 – New Balance
13 – Harley Davidson
14 – Budweiser
15 – Marlboro
16 – Ford
17 – Louisville Slugger
18 – Smith & Wesson
19 – General Electric
20 – John Deere
21 – L.L. Bean
22 – WalMart
23 – Craftsman Tools
24 – Wilson Sporting Goods
25 – Wrangler Apparel
It was, probably, the granddaddy of all SUV’s. The Jeep Wagoneer made its debut on American roadways fifty years ago and has since become an American icon. Jeep even recently announced that it is in the process of re-inventing this legend and bringing out a new model. Arrigo of West Palm Beach showed us that the Jeep brand is and always has been a family oriented vehicle.
The legendary Wagoneer made its first appearance back in 1963 and soon became a familiar site in America as Americans began taking to the roads in earnest and needed a family vehicle that would come along with them. The public flocked to it as they considered it a truck that rode and felt like a car. The Wagonner made its last appearance in 1993. The Wagoneer eventually morphed into a rugged two door version know as the Grand Cherokee and the rest has been history.
Back in the day the Wagoneer defined the luxury version of the SUV and was an expensive vehicle. The Wagoneer still remains a passion for many and it is now considered to be a classic with enthusiasts everywhere.
It is nice that it is being noticed that the grandfather of the SUV movement is being recognized for the true innovation it always was.