ST. GEORGE, Utah — “Willis?” “Willie’s?”
What’s in a name? People have debated the pronunciation of WWII icon Willys Jeep for decades, but the company that builds its direct descendant, the Jeep Wrangler, says, “Whatever you like. We’re good.”
That’s the word from Jim Morrison, head of Jeep North America. I asked just after he showed me the 2024 Willys Wrangler, an olive-drab salute to the original 1941 Willys Jeep, which was famously built by Toledo-based automaker Willys-Overland — but also by Ford Motor Co. and the nearly forgotten American Bantam, based in Butler, Pennsylvania.
