Whether on purpose or not, the Mahindra Roxor appears to have the same style as the Jeep Wrangler; which could be a problem.
While imitation is supposed to be the highest form of flattery, that’s not the case when it comes to vehicles as most automakers want to maintain their unique design and qualities in every model they create. A new vehicle arrived on the market called the Mahindra Roxor, and even though it won’t be much of a threat in the North American market, it does look a lot like a Jeep Wrangler.
If FCA were to sit back and not take any action, the door might be open for other companies to try and copy the look and build of the Wrangler.
How Could the Mahindra Roxor Affect the Jeep Wrangler
If the Mahindra brand is allowed to move forward and build the Roxor and put it on any market where the Jeep Wrangler is also offered, the Roxor could undercut the Wrangler sales.
This new model from Mahindra reflects the style and build of the original Willys Jeep from the 1940s and FCA is concerned that this model will cause customers to choose the Roxor instead of the Wrangler in some of the foreign markets around the world. For this reason, FCA has filed a complaint to stop the sale of the new Mahindra Roxor.
Is Mahindra Infringing on Jeep Territory?
Last year, Mahindra & Mahindra announced a $600 million investment in a production facility in the metro area of Detroit. This new facility is only a few miles from the FCA corporate headquarters in Auburn Hills. The plan for Mahindra is to begin to build and sell EV models in the US and the company has already begun to test prototypes for the US Postal Service. Does this mean that Mahindra will infringe on the Jeep Wrangler with the Roxor being offered in the US?
Right now, Roxors are built in India, and parts are shipped to the US for the final assembly. Although the diesel version of this vehicle isn’t road legal in the US because of safety and emissions regulations, an EV model of the Roxor could be sold. Of course, the fact that the Roxor only has a top speed of 45 mph, means it can’t truly compete with the Wrangler in the market, but there’s something just a bit too familiar about how the Roxor looks when you put it next to a photo of a Willys Jeep from the 1940s.
There Seems to be a Point of Contention
Even though FCA owns Jeep and the Wrangler name, there are some aspects of the argument for Mahindra that stand out. Mahindra licensed the design for the original Jeep many years ago, but it’s unclear where that license currently stands. This could be the only argument that Mahindra has for keeping their style and the Roxor on the market.
It seems, flattery in imitation was not achieved by Mahindra, and we’ll have to wait and see if the Roxor has to be altered to look less like one of the original Jeep models. In the meantime, the Jeep Wrangler is offered to give you the pure off-road performance that you want to enjoy.
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