√Jeep loses court battle over Mahindra copycat four-wheel-drive in the US

A court has ruled Indian car-maker Mahindra is allowed to sell its copycat version of the Jeep Wrangler four-wheel-drive in the US.

US car giant Jeep has lost face – and a significant court case – after lawmakers in the US ruled in favour of a copycat design of the iconic Wrangler off-roader produced by Indian manufacturer Mahindra.

Mahindra has been selling “a near identical copy” of the Jeep Wrangler in the US as a cut-price off-road vehicle since 2018.

Jeep has been trying to ban the sales of Mahindra copycat vehicles in the US for years because, it says, the Mahindra is a blatant rip-off of the Wrangler’s design.

Although it may seem an unusual battle between a car giant and an emerging brand, experts say the design of the Jeep Wrangler – which is derived from US military efforts in World War II – is as recognisable as a Porsche 911 sports car or the iconic Volkswagen Beetle.

News agency Bloomberg reported the Eastern District Court of Michigan last week ruled Mahindra could “keep producing, selling and distributing the post-2020 version of the Roxor” (the car at the centre of the dispute).

Jeep’s legal team had argued the Mahinda Roxor is a “nearly identical copy” of the Jeep, with some design elements such as “boxy body shape with flat-appearing vertical sides and rear body ending at about the same height as the hood,” Bloomberg reported.

The news agency noted that in June 2020, the International Trade Commission said “while the Roxor does not violate (Jeep’s) trademarks, it infringes the trade dress — a product’s look that distinguishes its source to consumers — and recommended prohibiting the import and sale of Roxor parts.”

Mahindra argued the 2018 and 2019 versions of the Roxor — which were subject to legal action — were no longer in production “and the 2020 version (pictured above) had a fresh look, with further design changes planned,” Bloomberg reported.

In Australia two years ago – in May 2021 – Jeep won a court case against Mahindra, after the Indian car maker agreed to not import a copycat version of Jeep’s iconic off-road vehicle.

However, Mahindra executives have not ruled out the possibility of introducing an updated version of the Jeep Wrangler look-a-like in Australia at a later date – but only after significant design changes, as per the undertaking offered to the court.

As previously reported by Drive, if Mahindra intends to import a future variant of the copycat vehicle, it is obliged to supply to Jeep “details of the appearance of the vehicle intended to be imported, marketed and sold in Australia”.

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