FCA moves to ban US sales of Mahindra's Jeep knockoff

The Willys-inspired Roxor is being marketed in the US as an off-road UTV.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has submitted a Federal Trade Commission complaint to block India's Mahindra and Mahindra from selling a Willys jeep-inspired off-road vehicle in the US.

Mahindra has a long history of building jeeps under license from Willys since the 1940s. The company recently opened a manufacturing center in Michigan where the Roxor is assembled as an off-highway side-by-side.

FCA's complaint claims the Roxor infringes Jeep's iconic design elements including the "boxy body shape with flat-appearing vertical sides and rear body ending at about the same height as the hood," according to excerpts of the document published by Bloomberg.

"They are a nearly identical copy of the iconic Jeep design," the complaint adds. "In fact, the accused product was 'modeled after the original Willys Jeep.'"

With a four-cylinder turbodiesel engine and five-speed manual gearbox, the Roxor is limited to 45 mph to comply with US UTV regulations. The trucks can be found at off-road vehicle dealers with prices starting around $15,000.