Since 1997 American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) has become the world’s premier supplier of OE-quality, performance-driven aftermarket parts and accessories for vehicles geared specifically to off-road recreational driving and overland adventure travel. Through a comprehensive global dealer network, AEV ships parts as well as fully-built turnkey Jeep Wranglers and Ram 1500 and Ram 2500/3500 HD pickups to customers around the world. The AEV brand has become the standard in off-road as the company casts an eye toward accessory parts for even more iconic vehicle lines in the future.
AEV was formed in the 1990s when founder and President Dave Harriton started stretching TJ Wranglers for himself and a few friends while a student at the University of Montana. He eventually won a business school award based on this Jeep project, and after graduating Dave set up shop in a one-room garage with a dirt floor in Missoula, Montana. When Dave’s modified Wranglers began winning Chrysler Design Excellence Awards at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, he found partners in Detroit who could bring OE-quality engineering and manufacturing expertise to his innovative designs.
Today, AEV is a modern success story in resurgent American automotive manufacturing. With a design/engineering facility in Missoula and a large engineering/vehicle build/warehouse plant in Detroit, AEV has built a brand with a stellar reputation in the passionate Jeep and off-road communities. AEV products are of the highest quality, built with the most advanced manufacturing processes available to any automotive company in the world. AEV believes in American made products—more than 90% are built within 200 miles of Detroit.
Whether it’s for Wrangler or Ram, AEV takes a no-compromise, total integration approach in developing its product lineup. Front and rear bumpers, hoods, wheels, suspension lifts, even badging and interior finishes are all designed to work in concert with one another from both visual aesthetic and ride performance parameters. Suspensions (or suspension components) in particular receive considerable investment, engineering, and testing. In fact, all AEV products and vehicles pass OE-level testing in both real world and controlled environments. AEV’s goal is not just customization, but actual improvement in the look, functionality, and drivability of the original vehicle on every surface, from the interstate to the most difficult off-road terrain.
AEV’s guiding principles begin with innovation in design and quality in manufacturing. Several AEV parts were the first, and are still among the only, stamped steel accessories in the aftermarket, and all finishes are to OE standards in corrosion protection. Innovations have included the Brute Double Cab, which converts a JK Wrangler into a stretched four-door pickup, a Heat Reduction Hood for Wrangler that actually helps cool the engine, and a versatile Rear Bumper/Tire Carrier that supports multiple components crucial to overland explorers. AEV was also the first company in the world to engineer a complete 5.7L or 6.4L HEMI V8 Engine Conversion Kit for Jeep Wrangler.
