2001 Jeep Willys Concept

“Willys embodies the Jeep brand’s core values of fun, freedom and legendary capability, generating interest from the young and young at heart,” said Jordan Meadows, Product Designer at Chrysler Group’s Pacifica Advanced Design Center in Carlsbad, Calif.

Tokyo — Continuing the momentum of its award-winning Jeep Willys concept vehicle, the Chrysler Group design team today presented its first Tokyo Motor Show world premiere design study: the radical Jeep Willys concept.

As executed in the Jeep Willys concept — which won the Gold Award in the 2001 Industrial Design Excellence Competition sponsored by Business Week magazine and the Industrial Design Society of America — Willys also was designed with an unsurpassed amount of imagination and adventure.

The ultra-modern interpretation of trademark Jeep design cues, including the seven-slot grille and trapezoidal wheel arches, makes Willys stand out at any auto show. The vehicle is finished in Action Green metallic paint.

Yet with this newest concept, the Jeep brand continues to develop products reflecting true Jeep values. A combination of honest heritage and modern technology, Willys sports a high-tech machined appearance while still evocative of its World War II ancestor, the Willys MB, a vehicle that quickly earned a reputation as an American hero. Although a concept vehicle with no imminent production plans, Jeep Willys embraces its past while looking forward toward its global future.

New Concept Vehicle Technology Willys also continues to lead the industry by using frame-web technology with a one-piece carbon fiber body on an aluminum frame. Found in today’s top performance sports and military equipment, Willys has a lightweight aluminum frame and carbon fiber hardtop that is removable.

The hard top comes equipped with a roof rack featuring a full-size spare tire holder and an integrated luggage carrier, as well as bindings for multiple kinds of outdoor gear. Three auxiliary fog and search lamps emphasize the ‘go-anywhere do-anything’ attitude that is characteristic of the Jeep brand.

“We call it the pure American,” said Trevor Creed, Senior Vice President of Design for the Chrysler Group. “The Jeep Willys’s usefulness and versatility were developed to exist in ecological harmony with nature, while being perfectly suited for the rigors of an active lifestyle.”

The Jeep Willys, which weighs approximately 1350 kg (3,000 lb.), is powered by a 1.6-liter, in-line four-cylinder engine that has been supercharged to deliver 120 kW (160 bhp) and 210 Nm (155 lb.-ft.) of torque. Its four-speed automatic transmission is coupled with a shift-on-the-fly transfer case with full-time four-wheel drive and low-range modes. Estimated performance figures include a sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph.) in about 10 seconds and a top speed of almost 140 km/h (90 mph.)

Willys’s chiseled design lends substance and visual weight, suggesting a low center of gravity with a long wheelbase (2413 mm/95 in.) and wide track (1496 mm/58.9 in. front, 1509 mm/59.4 in. rear.) It features a custom, independent short-and-long-arm front and multi-link solid rear axle suspension, with coil springs at all four wheels.

In Detail

engine	Supercharged Inline-4
displacement	1600 cc / 97.6 in³
power	119.3 kw / 160.0 bhp
specific output	100.0 bhp per litre
bhp/weight	bhp per tonne
torque	210.15 nm / 155.0 ft lbs
body / frame	One Piece Carbon Fibre
driven wheels	Front Engine / 4WD
front tires	P235/840R560
rear tires	P235/840R560
f brake size	mm / in
r brake size	mm / in
front wheels	F 55.9 x 22.9 cm / 22.0 x 9.0 in
rear wheels	R 55.9 x 22.9 cm / 22.0 x 9.0 in
curb weight	1315 kg / 2899 lbs
wheelbase	2413 mm / 95.0 in
front track	1496 mm / 58.9 in
rear track	1509 mm / 59.4 in
length	3617 mm / 142.4 in
width	1791 mm / 70.5 in
height	1605 mm / 63.2 in
transmission	4-Speed Auto
gear ratios	:1
top speed	~140 kph / 87.0 mph
0 – 60 mph	~10.2 seconds