Mahindra Roxor Changes Jeep-Like Face To Avoid Lawsuit

Remember that story we ran about the humble little Mahindra Roxor getting into hot water with FCA and its supposed infringement on the Jeep's trade dress? The one where FCA didn't just want Mahindra to spot selling the Roxor, it wanted them to pay back any profits made on existing sales. Well, there's been a positive new development, and Mahindra have released an official statement about it in a post by Jalopnik.

In an email sent out as an official statement, the International Traced Commission (ITC) will be reviewing the initial recommendation by the administrative law judge issued in November of 2019. Also, the ITC also said that it will be reviewing the validity of FCA's previously unclaimed U.S. rights in trade dress, and whether or not the previous year's Roxor infringes on these claims. They go on by saying; "We are optimistic that the ITC will in its review conclude that FCA did not establish previously unclaimed U.S. rights in trade dress and that there was no infringement of either trade dress or registered trademarks." That's not all, since Mahindra have decided to tweak the front face of the Roxor for 2020, dropping the vertical grille slats, and adopting a body colour surround horizontal design with a pair top and lower grilles. Mahindra has also said that it "will make additional styling changes, if so required in cooperation with the ITC".

Why FCA would even throw a fit about a non-road legal vehicle that doesn't even fit in the same category, price range, or customer base as a Jeep is beyond us. In any case, this is a good indicator for Mahindra, and we hope this whole thing gets resolved as soon as possible. For those wondering, the Mahindra Roxor is equipped with a 2.5-liter turbo diesel the produces 62 horsepower and 144 pound-feet of torque with a towing capacity of about 3,520 pounds.