Canada: Jeep® Brand Honours Its Heritage With 2025 Wrangler 4xe Willys '41 Special Edition

November 19, 2024 , Windsor, Ontario -  In a salute to the original, battle-tested Jeep® SUV – the legendary 1941 Willys MB – the Jeep brand proudly introduces the 2025 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Willys '41 special edition.
 
“Eight decades after cementing a reputation for all-terrain capability, straightforward design and tough versatility, the spirit of the original Willys MB lives on in everything we do at Jeep brand,” said Bob Broderdorf, senior vice president and head of Jeep brand North America. “The new 2025 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Willys '41 is a testament to that heritage. It's a celebration of our past that inspires us, while we keep pushing the boundaries of capability and innovation."
 
The 2025 Wrangler 4xe Willys '41 also takes cues from the beloved Jeep ’41 concept, which made headlines at the 2022 Easter Jeep Safari. The annual off-road event in Moab, Utah, is a mecca for Jeep enthusiasts and where the brand showcases concept vehicles that push the boundaries of design and capability and inspire future production models.
 
A Salute to the Past, Built for the Future
The 2025 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Willys '41 features a new, military olive drab-inspired '41 exterior paint colour, instantly evoking the spirit of the original Willys MB. Exclusive 17-inch aluminum wheels, painted in the same hue, are wrapped in aggressive 33-inch all-terrain tires. 
 
The Jeep design team crafted the hood-side WILLYS / 4XE decals to honor the brand’s storied military heritage. Finished in a period-correct Drab Blue, these decals nod to the original factory stenciling mandated by the U.S. Army on Willys MBs during World War II. Jeep designers ensured that the colour and style authentically replicate the utilitarian aesthetic of the era, capturing the rugged and functional spirit that defined the original Jeep vehicles and continues to be a hallmark today. Other unique, U.S. Army-inspired decals adorn the exterior, further amplifying this special model's heritage homage.
 
Inside, Wrangler 4xe Willys '41 is fitted with a unique tan interior with Heritage cloth seats, an olive drab fabric dashboard insert and a '41 shifter medallion. Open-air freedom of choice includes available roofs, such as a body-colour hardtop and a coming, exclusive tan soft-top. Standard features include a rear locker for enhanced traction and front and rear steel bumpers for added off-road protection.
 
From Go Devil to Green Machine
The class-exclusive, plug-in hybrid Wrangler 4xe is the best-selling PHEV in the U.S. three years in a row. Its advanced powertrain perfectly showcases 80-plus years of technical evolution since those original “Go Devil” engines powered the Willys MB.
 
The class-exclusive 4xe system combines a 2.0-litre turbocharged gas engine, two electric motors and a high-voltage battery pack to deliver average fuel economy of up to 4.8Le/100km, up to 35 kilometres of all-electric range and zero range anxiety. The powertrain is part of a global electrification initiative that is transforming 4xe into the new 4x4.
 
The 2025 Jeep Wrangler 4xe Willys '41 special edition starts at a Canada price of $72,290 ($69,995 MSRP, plus additional fees). Orders are now open alongside the rest of the 2025 Jeep Wrangler lineup and will be in dealer showrooms before the end of the calendar year.
 
Genesis of an American Icon
In July 1940, the U.S. military informed automakers that it was looking for a “light reconnaissance vehicle.” It invited 135 manufacturers to bid on production and developed a lengthy specification list for the vehicle, including a 272-kg (600-lb.) load capacity, wheelbase less than 190.5 centimetres (75 inches), height less than 91.4 cm (36 in.), a smooth-running engine from 5 km/h (3 mph) to 80 km/h (50 mph), a rectangular-shaped body, four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer case, fold-down windshield, three bucket seats, blackout and driving lights and a gross vehicle weight below 590 kg (1,300 lbs.)
 
Three companies, including Jeep’s predecessor Willys-Overland, answered the call. Each produced prototypes for testing in record time. The Army took possession of these vehicles in November 1940 at Camp Holabird, Maryland. Each of the three designs exceeded the Army's specification of 590 kg (1,300 lbs.), but the Army soon realized that limit was far too low and raised it for the next round of vehicles.
 
The Army issued the next round of contracts in March 1941, including an ask for Willys-Overland to build 1,500 examples of its “Quad.” Further testing and evaluation led to the Army's selection of the Willys vehicle as the standard. A contract was signed on July 15, 1941, to begin production.
 
With modifications and improvements, the Willys Quad became the MA and later the MB. But the Army, and the world, came to know it as the Jeep. Some claimed that the name came from the slurring of the letters GP, the military abbreviation for “general purpose.” Others say the vehicle was named for a popular character named “Eugene the Jeep” in the Popeye cartoon strip. Whatever its origin, the name entered into the American lexicon.
 
Willys-Overland produced almost 360,000 Jeep vehicles at the Toledo, Ohio, plant between October of 1941 and August 1945. WWII reporter Ernie Pyle once said, "It did everything. It went everywhere. Was as faithful as a dog, as strong as a mule, and as agile as a goat. It constantly carried twice what it was designed for and still kept going."
 
Willys trademarked the Jeep name and, even before WWII was over, began building the brand's first civilian model, the CJ-2A.

Jeep Brand 
Built on more than 80 years of legendary heritage, Jeep® is the authentic SUV brand that delivers legendary off-road capability, interior refinement, high-tech features and versatility to people who seek extraordinary journeys. The Jeep brand delivers an open invitation to live life to the fullest by offering a broad portfolio of vehicles that continues to provide owners with a sense of safety and security to handle any journey with confidence. The legendary Jeep brand's off-road capability is enhanced by a global electrification initiative that is transforming 4xe into the new 4x4. All Jeep brand vehicles in North America will offer an electrified variant by 2025.