The first Jeep prototype was built for the US Army by American Bantam, and it was followed by two competing prototypes, one by Ford, and the other by Willys-Overland. It was the American Bantam vehicle that first met the Army's criteria, but its engine did not comply to the military's torque requirements, and the Army also thought Bantam was too small a company. It is rumored that when Willys and Ford were offered second chances, they had access to the schematics from American Bantam.

After field testing all three models, Willys-Overland offered the lowest bid and won the contract, thus designing the vehicle that would become a standard jeep, and building it in their Toledo, Ohio plant. They called it a model MB military vehicle, but since Willys had only one factory, a tactical concern, the Army required Ford to build jeeps also. Ford's designation for the small truck was GPW (G for governmental vehicle, P for the wheelbase, and W for Willys). Together, the two companies produced over 600,000 jeeps.

Widely copied around the world, French company Hotchkiss et Cie manufactured Jeeps under license from Willys after 1954, and Nekaf copied them for production in the Netherlands. In addition there were several version created like the railway jeep, and an amphibious jeep. Jeeps were even supplied to the Red Army during World War II.

While largely supplanted by the HumVee for military use, the civilian Jeep lives on as a division of DaimlerChrysler, which now holds trademark status not only on the word "Jeep," but also the distinctive seven-slot grille. Chrysler acquired the marque when it bought out AMC in 1987, replacing the civilian Jeep CJ with the Jeep Wrangler, the name still in use today. In addition, there are other models under the Jeep brand, models like the Jeep Cherokee that bear little resemblance to the tiny military trucks, except for their grill.