an International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and in 2010, the American Enterprise Institute deemed the jeep "one of the most influential designs in automotive history". After World War II, the U.S. military continued to use the jeep in the Korean War and other conflicts, until it was gradually phased out by updated models—the 1949 Willys MC and the 1952 Willys MD—and received a complete redesign by Ford in the form of the 1960 M151 jeep. Use of the original jeep continued in other countries worldwide long after the war and American replacement, and its general appearance and configuration were mimicked for numerous similar vehicles, making it one of the most recognizable and widely used military vehicles in history. The jeep's popularity led to the release of the Jeep , the world's first mass-produced civilian four-wheel drive, in 1945. The "Jeep" name was soon trademarked and grew into a successful and highly valued brand, currently owned by Stellantis . History The design challenge and achievement The idea of the jeep originated with infantry requests for a low-profile, powerful vehicle with four-wheel drive. The idea was turned over to commercial companies (chiefly American Bantam, Willys, and Ford) to deliver – the development repeatedly being described as a "design by committee". In fall 1941, Lt. E.P. Hogan of the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps wrote: "Credit for the original design of the Army's truck -ton, 4x4, may not be claimed by any single individual or manufacturer. This vehicle is the result of much research and many tests." Hogan credited both military and civilian engineers, especially those working at the Holabird Quartermaster Depot. Nevertheless, in a case of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), charging Willys-Overland with misrepresentation in their advertising and news claims, ruled that, according to the New York Times, Willys did not perform the "spectacular achievement" of creating, designing and perfecting the jeep together with U.S. Army Quartermaster officers, but that: "The idea of creating a "jeep" was said by the FTC .. to have been originated by the American Bantam [Co.] of Butler, PA "[with U.S. Army officers]" and to have been [conceived and] developed by that company." Officially, on 7 April 1942, U.S. patent 2278450 for the final design of the jeep, titled "Military vehicle body", was awarded to the U.S. Army, which had applied for it, listing Colonel Byron Q. Jones as