Kaiser Jeep was the result of the merger between the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation, an independent Automaker based in Willow Run, Michigan, and the Toledo, Ohio-based Willys-Overland Company. Founded by John North Willys, Willys-Overland had survived World War II by producing the Jeep vehicle for the armed forces, and Jeep was considered the crown jewel of Willys-Overland. In 1955, Kaiser phased out both the Kaiser and Willys passenger car lines, and shipped the dies to Argentina where the joint venture with Industrias Kaiser Argentina (IKA) continued to build cars through the 1960s.