Stellantis unit loses case as Mahindra's Jeep copy allowed to sell in U.S.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles lost its longtime bid to block Mahindra & Mahindra from selling the redesigned Roxor off-road vehicle in the U.S. after claiming the Indian automaker copied the design of its Jeep.

The Eastern District Court of Michigan on July 19 ruled that Mahindra Automotive North America can keep producing, selling and distributing the post-2020 version of Roxor, the Mumbai-based company said in an exchange filing late Thursday.

The court denied Fiat’s request to apply the “safe distance rule” on Roxor.

The legal spat began after Fiat — now a unit of automaker Stellantis — complained 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.”

In June 2020, the International Trade Commission said that while the Roxor does not violate Fiat’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, according to the filing.

Mahindra contended that Roxor’s 2018 and 2019 models — subject to the legal action — were no longer in production and the 2020 version had a fresh look with further design changes planned.

In December that year, the ITC said that the post-2020 Roxor does not infringe on the Jeep trade dress, modifying its previous order to exempt the redesigned Roxor from an import ban.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group merged in 2021 to form the automaking group Stellantis.