The Forward Control models were primarily marketed as corporate, municipal, military, and civilian work vehicles.

Regular pickup box beds were standard, and customers were offered many "Jeep-approved" specialized bodies from outside suppliers.

As the marketplace grew more competitive in the 1950s, management developed a new range of modern cab and body trucks.

[5] Numerous versions of the Forward Control Jeeps were manufactured for general and specialized applications with 1957 being the top production with almost 10,000 vehicles built that year.

[7] According to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), this was regarded as the lowest ratio offered by domestic manufacturers at that time within the standard light-duty commercial vehicle segment.

[7] The FC layout offered advantages, including a short turning radius and large cargo bed size, given the compact overall length.

[9][10] The rugged design and go-anywhere capability included a claim that the FC could climb grades of up to 60% and reviews by Mechanix Illustrated highlighted the vehicle's toughness and surefootedness.

[11] A 1 short ton (0.91 t) dual-wheeled rear axle (dually) model with a 120 in (300 cm) load bed.

The FC-180 was shown in concept form on paper in a 1957 Willys company brochure titled "1958 Projects - Product Engineering".

[16] A 1963 analysis done by Jeep concluded that the militarized FC-170s compared favorably to the aging Dodge M37, at least for behind the front-line service.

[17] The XM-676 prototype had a 50% larger cargo cube, could carry 12 troops in the back instead of eight in the M-37, had a 700-pound greater load rating, and yielded more than twice the mileage, but Jeep was likely more focused on landing the contract for the M715 trucks that replaced the M-37.

First of all, the Marine Corps variants of the FC-170s were powered by a different engine – a Cerlist 85 hp (63 kW; 86 PS) three-cylinder 170 cu in (2.8 L) two-stroke diesel.

Other changes included a reinforced frame, a 24-volt electrical system, and limited-slip Spicer 44 front and 53 rear axles.

[19] The company started FC-150 production in India in 1965 and later expanded the model range for the domestic market to include the FC-170, as well as its own intermediate-sized FC-160.

[20] In the 1960s, Kaiser-Willys licensed Vehículos Industriales y Agrícolas (VIASA) of Zaragoza in Aragon to build Jeeps in Spain.

[21] Beginning in 1970, the "SV" line of commercial trucks were built using the Commando 4x4 Jeep chassis, just like the FC models in the United States.

[22] However, the Iberian models were unlike any Jeeps produced elsewhere and featured indigenously developed body designs.

Kaiser contracted Crown Coach Corporation, a bus manufacturer, to build a "Wide-Trac" forward control concept car that combines elements of the original Jeep FC trucks, the VIASA SV pickup, and Brooks Stevens' 1960 proposed facelift.