India’s automotive industry is up there with the largest of them, and Maruti Suzuki leads the rankings locally. Although third in terms of sales, Mahindra is a powerful company with worldwide ambitions.
Not only did they purchase Kinetic Motors and Peugeot Motorcycles, but the Indian manufacturer also owns the REVA Electric Car Company and SsangYong. In addition to farm equipment and the GenZe electric scooter, the United States of America is also treated to the Roxor.
Sold by Mahindra Automotive North America, the Jeep-like utility vehicle got itself in trouble for the Willys-style grille. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles sued the Indian company over it, and that’s how the Roxor now sports rounded rectangles in the grille. Despite this change, the U.S. International Trade Commission has found “a violation of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930.”
In other words, cease and desist orders have been issued to Mahindra and the North American operations over "trade dress infringement." The Indian manufacturer says that the 2020 redesign isn’t a copycat, and Mahindra also adds that Fiat Chrysler called dibs over “the import and sale of components in any boxy, open-topped, military-style vehicle."
The truth of the matter is, Mahindra and Jeep couldn’t play in more different fields. The Roxor isn’t road-legal but an off-road toy that costs $11,296 less than the street-legal JL Wrangler Sport. We’re definitely talking apples and oranges here, and very different customer bases.
As a brief refresher, the Roxor is assembled in the U.S. instead of produced here. Components and subassemblies are shipped over from India as kits, and the side-by-side from Auburn Hills is a pretty interesting piece of off-road engineering given its price.
Capable of up to 55 mph (88 kph) and available with a torque-converter automatic as well, the Roxor has a payload of 349 pounds (158 kilograms) and a payload of 3,490 pounds (1,583 kilograms). A turbo diesel with 62 horsepower (63 PS) and 144 pound-feet (195 Nm) of torque, a two-speed transfer case, 5.38:1 gearing, and full-floating axles are worthy of note.
Now that Roxor sales have been blocked over Jeep’s win at the International Trade Commission, only time will tell if Mahindra will redesign the little off-roader and produce it locally from scratch.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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