Editing SUV (section)

=== 1930s to 1948 ===
{{multiple image
| direction = vertical
| width= 220
| image1= 1937 Chevrolet Carryall Suburban (front).jpg
| caption1= 1935–1940 [[Chevrolet Suburban#First Generation|Chevrolet Suburban]]
| image2= Газ-61.JPG
| caption2= 1938–1945 [[GAZ-61]]
}}

Just before and during [[World War II]], prototypes and low-volume production examples of military cars with sedan or station wagon-type bodies and rugged, off-road capable four-wheel drive chassis began to appear around the world. These early models included the 1936 [[Kurogane Type 95]] from Japan, the 1938 [[GAZ-61]] from Russia as well as the 1941 [[Volkswagen Kommandeurswagen]] and 1936 [[Opel Geländesportwagen]]<ref>{{cite news|last1=Carlsson|first1=Mårten|url= http://www.klassiker.nu/reportage/opel-terrangsportbil |title=Opel Terrängsportbil |trans-title=Opel Off-Road Car |work=Klassiker |location=Sweden|language=sv|date=26 June 2018|access-date=11 July 2019}}</ref> from Germany. An early predecessor to the design of modern SUVs{{citation needed|date=April 2019|reason=Needs reference to support claimed link}} was the 1940 [[Humber Heavy Utility]], a four-wheel-drive off-road vehicle built on the chassis of the [[Humber Super Snipe]] passenger car.<ref>{{cite web|title=10 Strange Military Vehicles of World War II|url= https://www.wonderslist.com/10-strange-military-vehicles-world-war-ii/ |website=wonderslist.com |access-date=2019-04-10|date=2014-01-30}}</ref>

The most prohibitive initial factors to the potential civilian popularity of an SUV-like car were their cost and the availability of certain critical parts. Before the war, adding four-wheel drive to a car almost doubled its cost.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.fourwheeler.com/features/origins-of-the-jeep-birthing-a-75-year-legend/ |title=Origins Of The Jeep: Birthing A 75-Year Legend|first=Jim |last=Allen |work=Four Wheeler Network |date=2016-01-10|access-date=2019-02-11}}</ref> Compared to a common, rear-wheel drive vehicle, any 4WD (four-wheel drive) needed many essential extra components, including a [[transfer case]], a second differential, and [[constant-velocity joint]]s for the driven front axle—which were expensive due to the precision involved in this required manufacturing gears and other specialized parts. Before World War{{Nbsp|1}}II, these were produced in the United States by only a few specialized firms with limited production capacity. Due to the increase in demand for parts for the war effort, in the spring of 1942 [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]], [[Dodge]], and [[Chevrolet]] joined in fabricating these parts in mass quantities, boosting their production more than 100-fold.<ref name=ThomsonMayo>{{cite book|last1=Thomson|first1=Harry C.|first2=Lida|last2=Mayo|year=2003|title=The Ordnance Department: procurement and supply|series=United States Army in World War II: The technical services|url= https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112055126327;view=1up;seq=298;size=125|location=Washington, D.C. |via=United States Army Center of Military History|publication-date=1960|publisher=Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. of the Army|page=274|ref=ODprocure}}</ref>

An early usage of the term was the 1947 [[Crosley#Model summary|Crosley CC Four]] Sport Utility model, which used a convertible wagon body style and is therefore unrelated to the design of later SUVs.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2014/5/26/1302054/-History-101-The-Crosley-Automobile|title=History 101: The Crosley Automobile |work=Daily KOS|location=U.S.|date=2014-05-26|access-date=2018-02-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://crosleyautoclub.com/Details/Details_CCs.html|title=Details on Crosley CC Models 1946 - 1948 |work=Crosley Automobile Club |location=U.S.|access-date=2018-02-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.classiccarcatalogue.com/CROSSLEY%201948.html|title=Crosley 1948|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180223210336/http://www.classiccarcatalogue.com/CROSSLEY%201948.html|archive-date=2018-02-23 |via=Classic Car Catalogue}}</ref>