The Willys MB US Army Jeep, along with the nearly identical Ford GPW, was manufactured from 1941 to 1945. The small four-wheel drive utility vehicles are considered the iconic World War II Jeep, and would inspire many similar Light Utility Vehicles. Over the years, the World War II Jeep later evolved into "CJ" civilian Jeep and has been recognized as a symbol of rugged individualism in twentieth century American History. Its counterpart in the German army was the Volkswagen Kübelwagen, also based on a small automobile, but which used an air-cooled engine and lacked 4 wheel drive.