Jeep will go to court to stop Mahindra from selling the Roxor in the US

In the first quarter of the year, the Indian conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra announced that next year 2020 It would launch up to 5 new models on the market. With them it wants to expand its operations to new markets in which they are not present, placing itself among them, United States. However, his expansion aspirations could be held back, as Jeep, together with the FCA Group, will not make things easy for you.

The reason there is for Jeep has been angry with Mahindra it has to do with the model Roxor. This product is technically and aesthetically derived from the first Willys launched by the American firm, and which has remained active in India due to a now-extinct collaboration agreement. However, the Asian brand has decided to assemble it in the United States under the ckd-format in the new factory they have built in Michigan.

To prevent its commercialization, the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Group (FCA) has filed a formal complaint with the United States International Trade Commission. The reason they have alleged to prevent the Mahindra Roxor may be sold in the American country due to the aesthetic characteristics and possible damage to the commercial image of Jeep and its models.

The evidence they have presented to support these arguments is multiple snapshots in which it can be verified that the model of Mahindra It is almost a copy of the legendary Jeep design. In any case, you don't have to be a lynx to realize that, avoiding certain aesthetic elements such as the front grill, the rest of the aesthetic elements that make up the physiognomy of the Roxor are a copy of those of the original Willys.

El Mahindra Roxor will be for sale in United States before the end of the year. The available offer has a starting price established at 15.550 dollars for the version with basic equipment. The most equipped has an official rate of U.S. dollar 18.990, becoming, therefore, a product that could obtain an average reception among the American public.

We will have to see how this complex situation ends, because with Donald Trump in the White House and its protectionist desire, Mahindra could be seriously harmed by this copy. In any case, it will be the US International Trade Commission that has the last word.

Source – Automotive News