Fiat Chrysler wants sales of Jeep look-alike stopped

8/8/2018
BY TYREL LINKHORN
BLADE STAFF WRITER
  • NSL-MahindraXX-2

    Roxors at Mahindra Automotive North America in Auburn Hills, Mich, Monday, March 12, 2018.

    The Blade/Andy Morrison
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    • There’s no question the Mahindra Roxor, an off-road-only vehicle assembled in suburban Detroit, resembles an old Jeep. With its high ground clearance, flat fenders, external hood latches, and conspicuous lack of doors, it casts a silhouette not far removed from the CJ series of Jeeps built from the end of World War II into the mid 1980s.

    Whether that similarity is tied to a longtime licensing agreement or steps into blatant trademark infringement is the subject of a recent challenge from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles with the U.S. International Trade Commission. 

    Last week, Fiat Chrysler filed a complaint with the federal agency, seeking to stop Mahindra from selling the Roxor in the United States. In the complaint, Fiat Chrysler argues that the Roxor is “a nearly identical copy of the iconic Jeep design” that incorporates various protected design trademarks. 

    “FCA US is requesting that the International Trade Commission open an investigation of Mahindra’s intentional trade dress and trademark infringement of our Jeep brand related to the import, distribution and sale of the Roxor product in the U.S.,” the company said in a statement to The Blade. “Specifically, we are requesting that the ITC issue an exclusion order to prohibit Mahindra from importing the infringing product into the U.S.

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