SUVs

Sports Utility

Vehicle

1960

FirstMention.com explores the history and origin of

common words and phrases.

Few things evoke the excesses of the go-go '90s quite like a huge, honking sports utility vehicle. Picking up groceries or dropping off the kids in a big 'ol, 4WD Toyota LandCruiser, Ford Expedition, or a Cadillac Escalade makes a statement.

We used to call 'em Jeeps, of course, or maybe four-wheel-drives. So when did the phrase sports utility vehicle enter the lingo?

Go on...take a guess. 1990? 1980? 1970?

Would you believe 1960! Back when GE was advertsing transistor radios, and car tires could be had for $9.88, Toyota was hawking its sports/utility vehicle at the Automobile Show in Chicago (they were also pushing their Toyopet station wagon, a name that died out faster than you can say Edsel).

Here's a FirstMention from a January 17, 1960 advertisement (bit blurry...sorry) that appeared in the Chicago Tribune.

It didn't take Jeep long to publicize its own SUV, as in this July 27, 1961 ad.

They even advertised it on the Jack Paar Show. I wonder if the Toyopet got such primetime billing?

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Our FirstMention research on the origin of popular words, names and phrases is carried out in many sources, including historical newspaper archives, online family history records, state archives, and old books.

Know of an earlier First Mention? Drop me a line at david@firstmention.com

FirstMention.com

exploring the history and origins of familiar people, places, things, words and phrases