2020 Jeep Renegade Jeepster a questionable return for the Jeepster name | AutoBlog

Published 5/19/2020 on AutoBlog by Jonathon Ramsey

There have been five incarnations of the Jeepster name. The first was before Jeep was Jeep, when Willys-Overland unveiled the first Jeepster in 1948 as a more car-like take on its basic and rugged wares. It looked like someone had given Chrysler designers a Jeep Truck and said, “Make this a Chrysler for cheap,” long before there was any connection between the two automakers. That effort only lasted two years on sale before retirement. In 1966, Kaiser visited the Jeepster’s grave to try again, this time targeting the Ford Bronco and Toyota Land Cruiser with a model that came in four body styles and remained on sale for six years. In 1998, Jeep showed off a Jeepster concept channeling the Willys-Overland version that, again, looked like someone gave Chrysler a Jeep to turn into a Chrysler, but for more money. Then, in 2018, Jeep took a Jeepster concept that channeled the Kaiser model to Moab for the Easter Jeep Safari. Now, for the fifth stab at it, Mopar Insiders reports that Jeep has a 2020 Renegade Jeepster Edition on the way, based on the entry-level Renegade Sport trim.