Mahindra Roxor is copy of Jeep, FCA files trade complaint against M&M in US

It was on March 3 this year that Mahindra had introduced the Roxor in the US through Mahindra Automotive North America (MANA). Unveiling the Roxor, Dr. Pawan Goenka, Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd had said “Mahindra’s 70-year automotive history has been forged by making authentic, rugged, purpose-driven vehicles; Roxor is the embodiment of this history and our brand.”

Roxor offers a simple, hard worn approach, featuring a steel body on a boxed steel frame, a heavy-duty Mahindra turbo-diesel 4 cylinder engine, and an automotive style 5-speed manual transmission. Roxor was conceived, designed, engineered and is being produced in Metro Detroit by MANA.  MANA is part of the Mahindra Group and recently opened a new NA Automotive headquarters and manufacturing center in Auburn Hills, MI. Alleging a  trademark infringement of the Jeep brand, Fiat Chrysler wants the federal agency to stop Mahindra from building, selling or importing the off-road vehicle into the US.

Incidentally, Jeep and Mahindra had worked together almost seven decades ago when the latter started assembling Jeeps at its Kandivali Plant in India under contract with Willy Overland Export Corp.

According to The Detroit News, Mahindra said in a statement Friday that the filing is without merit, and that past agreements give it the right to build and sell the Roxor. "Mahindra has a historic relationship and agreements with FCA and its predecessors that go back 70 years," the company said. "The relationship began in the 1940s with the original agreement with Willys and continues to this day, with the most recent agreement executed with FCA (then Chrysler Group LLC)  in 2009. 

"Our actions, products, and product distribution (including  Roxor) both honor the legacy of the relationship and the terms of our agreements with FCA."