The Mahindra Roxor was launched in the US and Canada in 2018. Its design was updated after FCA objected, alleging that it was a copy of the Willys Jeep.

A US court has allowed Mahindra & Mahindra to keep producing and selling the post-2020 version of the Roxor off-roader in the US market.

According to the company, the Easter District Court of Michigan issued an order on a renewed motion filed by Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA) to ban the post-2020 Roxor. The court declined to apply the safe distance rule to this case.

Following the ruling, Mahindra & Mahindra issued a statement saying, "With this ruling, Mahindra Automotive North America, a subsidiary of the company, continues to have no restraints on its ability to produce, sell and distribute the post-2020 Roxor in the US."

In 2018, Mahindra launched the Roxor in the US and Canadian markets. A complaint was soon filed by FCA alleging that it was a copy of the Willys Jeep. Ruling in favour of the company, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) ordered Mahindra to rework the design. The updated version of the off-roader was unveiled in 2020.

Source: ET Auto

The Roxor is an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) that was developed for the US market.

The Mahindra Roxor has been spotted in India for the first time, which suggests that the carmaker could be planning to introduce it in the domestic market.

The Roxor was developed by Mahindra Automotive North America (MANA) specifically for the US market. However, the all-terrain vehicle (ATV) project soon ran into legal troubles due to its Jeep CJ-inspired design.

Mahindra was forced to redesign the Roxor after it lost the intellectual property suit filed by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). Now, the vehicle spotted in India is the new Roxor with the updated front fascia.

The Roxor is powered by a 2.5-litre, m2DiCR turbocharged diesel engine that produces 61 BHP @ 3,200 rpm and 195 Nm of torque @ 1,400-2,200 rpm. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and has 4WD with a 2-speed transfer case.

Source: Rushlane

The company is likely to recall a large group of employees as Roxor sales are set to resume.

Mahindra has cut more than half of the workforce at its North America plant. Reports suggest that the layoffs have been the result of a legal issue and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Mahindra Automotive North America (MANA) employed more than 500 people. While the exact number of jobs lost is not known, the report suggests that hundreds of workers have been laid off since mid-2020. These include engineers, sales executives and plant workers.

According to the company, it had furloughed some staff and laid off others due to the pandemic and an International Trade Commission lawsuit which had blocked it from selling the Roxor in the USA.

Last month, a US regulator ruled in favour of Mahindra, which has paved the way for the company to resume Roxor sales. The carmaker now expects to recall a large group of employees.

Source: Reuters

An earlier judgement had forced Mahindra to redesign the Roxor. The new model gets a revised front fascia which no longer resembles the CJ.

A U.S. regulator has ruled that the new design of the Mahindra Roxor does not infringe the intellectual property rights of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' (FCA) Jeep brand. This will enable Mahindra to manufacture and sell the redesigned 2021 Roxor in the US.

Earlier this year, the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) had passed a judgement in favour of FCA after the latter had objected to the design of the Roxor as it was almost identical to the Jeep.

This judgement had forced Mahindra to redesign the Roxor. The new model gets a revised front fascia which no longer resembles the CJ.

Following the recent ruling, FCA has stated that, while it is disappointed with the commission's decision, the company believes it will be successful in appealing it.

The Roxor drops its Jeep-inspired design for a new front fascia.

Mahindra had released a teaser image of the redesigned Roxor a few months back. The off-roader has now been revealed through a leaked image.

Mahindra had to redesign the Roxor after Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) filed an objection as the design was almost identical to a Jeep. The updated car gets a new front fascia instead of a Jeep-inspired design.

Mahindra is unlikely to make any mechanical changes to the Roxor. It could be offered with the same 2.5-litre, m2DiCR turbocharged diesel engine that produces 61 BHP @ 3,200 rpm and 195 Nm of torque @ 1,400-2,200 rpm. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox.

The off-roader is equipped with 4WD and has a 2-speed transfer case. It has leaf spring suspension with disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear.

Source

Another teaser image of the updated Mahindra Roxor has surfaced online. The latest image reveals the vehicle's redesigned front fascia.

The redesigned Roxor gets a new grille that has horizontal slats instead of a Jeep-inspired look. The front fenders that looked identical to those on the Jeep CJ have also been redesigned.

The updated Roxor may use the same powertrain as the pre-facelift version. It is a 2.5-litre, m2DiCR turbocharged diesel engine that produces 61 BHP @ 3,200 rpm and 195 Nm of torque @ 1,400-2,200 rpm. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and has 4WD with a 2-speed transfer case.

Mahindra had to redesign the Roxor after Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) filed an objection as the design was almost identical to a Jeep. The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) had later passed a judgement in favour of FCA.

Source

Mahindra has released a teaser image of the redesigned Roxor. The updated model is expected to get visual changes that will help differentiate it from Jeep products.

The teaser image suggests that the Roxor might get a new front fascia. It appears to have a silver surround around the upper portion of the grille. It could also get redesigned headlamps.

Under the skin, the Roxor is based on the first generation Mahindra Thar. It is powered by a 2.5-litre, m2DiCR turbocharged diesel engine that produces 61 BHP @ 3,200 rpm and 195 Nm of torque @ 1,400-2,200 rpm. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and has 4WD with a 2-speed transfer case.

Earlier this year, the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) had passed a judgement in favour of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles after the latter had objected to the design of the Roxor as it was almost identical to a Jeep. Following the ruling, Mahindra had stated that the 2020 model of the Roxor would get a reworked design.

The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) has upheld a judge's finding that Mahindra's off-road vehicle, the Roxor, is a copy of the Jeep.

According to the description by Fiat Chrysler, the Roxor is a near identical copy of the Jeep with its "boxy shape with flat sides and rear body ending about the same height as the hood". In November 2019, the judge ruled that while Roxor would infringe on the trade dress of the Jeep as defined by six specific design elements, it would not on the registered trademarks of the Jeep's front grille. He recommended blocking imports of Mahindra Roxor and components.

The 2020 model of the Roxor was claimed by Mahindra to get reworked design changes which would be in cooperation with the ITC. Mahindra claims that its new models are not in violation.

According to a media report, Administrative Law Judge Cameron Elliot has found that the Mahindra Roxor infringes on the iconic features of Jeep. The judge has determined that Mahindra violated 19 U.S.C. Section 1337 and recommended a cease-and-desist order to prevent Mahindra from selling the Roxor.

FCA could now ask the United States International Trade Commission to confirm the judge's conclusions and a cease-and-desist order could be issued by March 13th, 2020.

FCA has accused Mahindra of using 6 features, known as trade dress, that are distinctively Jeep. These include exterior hood latches, door cutouts, rear body panels, and a boxy body shape.

Source

Mahindra showcased a new grille design for the Roxor with two concepts at the 2019 Sema show. The concepts preview the grille on the upcoming Roxor facelift.

The two concepts are called The Marshal and the Coastal Cruiser. The new 2-part grille comes with small rectangular cutouts. The change in the grille design could be because FCA, which owns Jeep, had filed a trade complaint against Mahindra for the lookalike grille.

The 2020 Mahindra Roxor is expected to get new features, accessories, new grille design and four new standard colours.