Land Rover wants to stop Porsche and Audi selling SUVs in America
Jaguar Land Rover has launched a legal bid to ban VW Group SUVs, including those from Porsche, Audi, and Lamborghini, from being imported to the United States. The British firm alleges that its German-owned rivals are infringing the patent on its Terrain Response technology, according to a report by Bloomberg.
Terrain Response is a suite of systems that allows Land Rovers and Jaguars to handle almost any driving conditions, using electronic control of the engine response, transmission, differentials, and brakes to maintain traction in even the most adverse off-road situations.
In a complaint filed to the U.S. International Trade Commission, Tata Motors Ltd (parent company of Jaguar Land Rover) says that the technology allows its cars to tackle a “broad range of surfaces” and is a U.S.P. of the Land Rover Discovery and Jaguar F-Pace.
“JLR seeks to protect itself and its United States operations from companies that have injected infringing products into the U.S. market that incorporate, without any license from JLR, technology developed by JLR and protected by its patent,” says the filing.
JLR is seeking to block imports of the Porsche Cayenne, Lamborghini Urus, Audi Q8, Q7, Q5, A6 Allroad and e-tron, plus the VW Tiguan. The International Trade Commission is expected to take 15 to 18 months to investigate. In the meantime, the company has also launched compensation claims in federal courts in Delaware and New Jersey.
