Jeep loses bid to block Indian company selling 'almost identical copy' Wrangler

Mahindra will be allowed to continue selling a new version of its Roxor vehicle under the ruling

The automaker that developed the Jeep SUV has lost its bid to stop an Indian rival from selling its 4×4 soft-top due to claims uh that is a fake. version.

Mahindra & Mahindra will be allowed to continue selling a new version of its Roxor car after the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles lost the trial in the USA.

fiat Chrysler, the manufacturer Jeep, complained that Roxor was an “almost identical copy” with the same square shape of the body and clearance height. > Fiat Chrysler belongs to Stellantis, which also owns Vauxhall, and works as a separate unit in the United States.

Fiat Chrysler makes Jeep models such as the Jeep Wrangler (pictured). Credit: FCA US LLC

The company has been fighting Mahindra since 2018 and won a partial victory in 2020 when the US International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled that Roxor violated Jeep's distinctive visual style, known as its corporate identity.

In its initial response to Fiat's first complaint, Mahindra said the case was «baseless».

The company said its vehicle is «the result of more than three years of research and development and has categorically rejected the notion that the Roxor was an imported low quality 'fake' kit car.»

Mahindra was contacted for comment.

Mahindra has updated the design, leading to an ITC ruling in 2021 that it is different enough not to break the rules.

The Mahindra soft-top Roxor starts at $20,600 (£16,000), the all-weather model starts at $28,800 and the Jeep Renegade starts at $28,350.

Ownership of the Jeep name and appearance is disputed. ed since it was first used to transport soldiers and officers around the battlefield over 80 years ago.

Introduced in the 1940s as a reconnaissance vehicle destined for the European theater of operations during World War II, the first prototypes were made by the American Bantam Car Company, but Bantam failed to register the Jeep name to rival Willys-Overland Motors.

Jeep introduced its first all-electric Jeep Avenger in the UK this year. Photo: Heathcliff O'Malley

Jeep has been manufactured under license by other companies since the 1940s, including Ford and Kia at various times.

They have also been manufactured by Mahindra under license since the 1960s. Jeep then entered the Indian market in 2016, selling the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee models.

The British Land Rover is believed to have been inspired by Jeep.

This year, Jeep launched its first all-electric model in the UK, the £36,000 Avenger compact SUV. Earlier this month, Jeep surprised dealers by releasing a petrol version despite the push to electrify its models.