FCA Wins Big in Court Over Alleged Wrangler Clone
Mahindra can no longer sell the Roxor in the U.S., but plans on restyling it to conform to the ruling.
Winning the Battle
For years, Fiat Chrysler has been embroiled in a legal battle with Mahindra over the styling of the Roxor off-road off-road vehicle. Jeep claimed that the Roxor looked far too much like, well, a Jeep, saying that it is "nearly identical" with the same "boxy shape, with flat-appearing vertical sides and rear body ending at about the same height as the hood." A judge sided with FCA back in November of 2019, and now, the International Trade Commission has upheld that decision.
Photos: Mahindra
Not the End
The ITC's ruling accepts the judge's recommendation that Mahindra no longer be able to sell the Roxor in the U.S., which many feel is essentially a Jeep CJ7 clone. But thankfully, this won't be the end for the Roxor by any means. Mahindra has already made significant styling changes to the little off-roader, with more planned to differentiate it from Jeep.
Photos: Mahindra
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Opening Arguments
Mahindra actually acquired the licensing rights to build Willys Jeeps back in 1947. But FCA argued that the agreement didn’t grant them "ownership rights over Jeep brand-related intellectual property," nor did it allow them to sell the Roxor in the U.S. Mahindra, meanwhile, argued that FCA was trying to obtain "a practical monopoly over the import and sale of components used in any boxy, open-topped, military-style vehicle."
Photos: Mahindra
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Little Late
FCA and Mahindra actually had an agreement in place as late as 2009 for the automaker to produce a Jeep-like vehicle called the Scorpion, with a caveat that it would have a five-slot grille instead of Jeep's seven-slot design. That was the agreement that led to the construction of the Roxor, though the deal had apparently expired by the time it made it to market.
Photos: Mahindra
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Homeward Bound
Mahindra is currently the largest maker of sport utility vehicles in India and assembles the Roxor in a production facility located in the metro Detroit area that it invested $600 million in just a couple of years ago. Ironically enough, the building is just a couple of miles away from FCA headquarters.
Photos: Mahindra
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No Competition
Ultimately, however, the Roxor is no Jeep competitor. The little off-roader isn't street legal and is marketed and sold as a recreational toy like a side-by-side. It has a 2.5-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel that offers up 62 horsepower and 144 pound-feet of torque, a five-speed manual transmission, two-speed transfer case, and part-time four-wheel drive. Top speed is a scintillating 45 miles-per-hour
Photos: Mahindra
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Fluid Situation
We're personally big fans of the Roxor, and we hope that Mahindra is able to make enough styling changes to the little utility to keep selling it here in the U.S. As of right now, however, this situation is still quite fluid.
Photos: Mahindra
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