Jeep is trying to sue India's Mahindra for the design of the next-generation Thar SUV, which arrived in 2020. The American company believes that elements of the Jeep Wrangler corporate image are illegally reproduced in it.
Note that Jeep and Mahindra lawsuits already took place in 2019-2021 in the United States, and then the subject of the proceedings was another model - Roxor, this is a variant of the previous generation Thar in the specification for the North American market. Mahindra lost, suspended sales of the model and is now forced to develop a new design for Roxor.
This time, the showdown moved to Australia, where the Indian automaker dared to announce the official delivery of the new Thar. Jeep wants to stop this, because the Thar is half the price of the Wrangler, plus or minus the same style and rich equipment.
According to Car Advice, the first hearing in the case took place in the federal court of Australia on May 11. Jeep lawyers accuse Mahindra of violating "patented design" and "misleading the consumer." The American manufacturer is demanding that Mahindra not sell Thar in Australia, and if it ever intends to do so, give at least 90 days written notice.
Mahindra had previously announced the new Thar on its Australian dealership website, but due to complaints, Jeep removed the promo page dedicated to the model. A local certification process was planned, but it has been postponed indefinitely.
The court has scheduled a second hearing in the case for May 21.
Jeep is apparently intent on chasing Mahindra into every major Western market she dares to venture into. But there's a caveat here: both the Wrangler and the Thar contain references to the classic Jeeps and Jeep CJs, but the Mahindra is also legally entitled to the style, as is the Jeep itself, since the previous generation Thar was an upgraded version of the Jeep CJ-3B of the early 1960s. years, and the Indians have been producing it for many years under an official license bought from Jeep. The new Thar is built from scratch based on Mahindra's own technologies.
At home, Thar is breaking sales records: the queue for an SUV has already stretched for ten months. However, exports were in question, because it was Australia that was to become one of the priority markets.
Mahindra Thar is a frame SUV with an open body, fabric or plastic roof. It is offered with engines of 2.0 liters (petrol) and 2.2 liters (diesel). The first develops 150 hp, the second - 130 hp. The engines meet the strict Euro-6 environmental class and are combined with a six-speed mechanical gearbox of Mahindra's own design or a six-speed French-made Punch 6L50 hydromechanical “automatic”. The drive is full, part-time type. There is a downshift, a rear differential lock and an imitation of a cross-axle with the help of brakes.
Jeep is part of the transnational concern Stellantis, Mahindra is the core of the Indian corporation Mahindra & Mahindra.
Jeep decides to prosecute Mahindra for copying Wrangler
