Like the war that led to the creation of the original Jeep, the modern court case focused on the design of that off-road icon has dragged on and on. But now it’s over and there’ll be parties in the street, though only in the ones home to Mahindra’s execs and dealers.
Earlier this week Stellantis’s Fiat Chrysler Automobiles U.S. arm lost a battle to stop India’s Mahindra & Mahindra from selling its no-frills Roxor SUV in America. FCA had argued that the Roxor was a blatant copy of its classic Jeep and had asked the court to apply what’s known as a “safe distance rule” and block Mahindra’s sales. But the Eastern Court of Michigan ruled that Mahindra Automotive North America could continue to sell its SUV in the region.
Back in 2019, a year after the Roxor entered the U.S. and Canadian markets, Trade Judge Cameron Elliot decided that the Roxor infringed on Jeep’s trade dress, which is a legal way of saying it looked too similar. He recommended that the International Trade Commission (ITC) forbid Mahindra from selling the SUV in the U.S, which it did in June 2020.
Related: 2022 Mahindra Roxor Introduced, Now Looks Like A Jeep In The Witness Protection Program
But several months prior to that order Mahindra updated the Roxor with a new face that looked less like a classic Jeep CJ’s nose, but eerily similar to the front end of a Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40. The company has since revised the design again to the point where it now looks like a generic GTA version of a CJ, but definitely not a clone.
In court, Mahindra stated that the the 2018-19 models that were the focus of the original case were no longer in production and that the 2020-on vehicles looked sufficiently different that they wouldn’t be mistaken for a Jeep. In December of 2020 the ITC decided that the updated Roxor didn’t infringe on Jeep’s rights and following this week’s case Mahindra is again free to continue to build the military-style off-roader at its Auburn Hills, MI, facility, and market it throughout the country.
But while judges have ruled that the Roxor no longer looks like a classic WWII Jeep, it certainly performs like one. The Mahindra is powered by a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated, four-cylinder diesel that generates just 62 hp (63 PS) and 144 lb-ft (195 Nm) of torque, and gives a top speed of only 55 mph (88 kmh).
Check out the gallery below to see how Mahindra moved away from its original copycat Roxor design.
