Mahindra Wins Court Case over Jeep Wrangler Trademark Infringement

A Michigan court settled a years-long dispute between Mahindra Automotive North America and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles—later called Stellantis—over the design of Mahindra’s Roxor off-roader. Fiat Chrysler had claimed in 2018 that the Roxor’s look was too similar to the “iconic Jeep design,” but a 2020 update gave the Roxor a more distinct front end.The Roxor, which is now cleared for sale by the court, also isn’t road-legal in the U.S., as it’s intended for use on farms and other off-road applications.

Back in 2018, Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra brought its Roxor off-roader to the United States, aiming to sell it as a non-street-legal alternative to side-by-sides and other work vehicles. But the Roxor’s old-school design—based on the original Willys Jeep—prompted legal action from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). Now the Eastern District Court of Michigan has ruled in favor of Mahindra Automotive North America, permitting the company to continue selling 2020-and-newer versions of the truck, as reported by Automotive News.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles—which became Stellantis in 2021 when FCA merged with PSA Group—had called the Roxor “a nearly identical copy of the iconic Jeep design,” filing a formal complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in 2018. FCA complained about the “boxy body shape with flat-appearing vertical sides and rear body ending at about the same height as the hood” and alleged that Mahindra was intending to “penetrate the United States market and harm FCA’s goodwill and business.”

Jeep and Mahindra

Mahindra shot back, asking a Michigan court to block FCA’s complaint and claiming that the two companies had come to an agreement in 2009 that Mahindra could sell the Roxor with a grille design approved by Fiat that was different enough from the classic seven-slot Jeep grille. Mahindra also argued that Fiat Chrysler was using the case to damage the company’s reputation and that the Roxor had always been intended as an off-road-only vehicle, meaning it didn’t compete with the Jeep Wrangler.

In June 2020, the International Trade Commission ruled that while the Roxor was not violating any Fiat Chrysler trademarks, it did infringe on the trade dress—a term for the look of a product that distinguishes its source in the eyes of consumers—and recommended stopping the import and sale of Roxor parts.

A 2019 Mahindra Roxor with the original grille design.

Marc Urbano|Car and Driver

Mahindra responded that the 2018 and 2019 models, which had a more Jeep-like face, were no longer in production and that the 2020 Roxor’s new oval grille differentiated the off-roader enough. Later that year the ITC affirmed Mahindra’s claims, agreeing that the 2020 Roxor wasn’t infringing on the Jeep trade dress.

This led FCA to push the court to implement the “safe distance rule,” which would require Mahindra to register a new, non-infringing trademark that was sufficiently different from the infringed trademark, helping clear up for consumers that the two products were unrelated. But the Michigan court’s July 19th ruling denied FCA/Stellantis’ request, in turn allowing Mahindra to continue building and selling the post-2020 Roxor.

The Roxor is powered by a diesel 2.5-liter four-cylinder producing 62 horsepower and 144 pound-feet of torque and linked to a five-speed manual transmission. At 148 inches long, the Roxor is nearly 20 inches shorter than a new two-door Wrangler. Top speed is limited to 55 mph and Mahindra claims a 3490-pound towing capacity. Prices start at $20,599 before the destination fee.

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Associate News Editor

Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.