Here’s the latest reader question, along with my reply!
DW asks: Had my eye on getting a Roxor, but waited too long. FCA/Jeep could not or would not compete on manufacturing quality, but apparently has the money to hire a better legal team and won some BS lawsuit shutting down Roxor production. I have seen a few articles about a possible redesigned 2021/2022 Roxor, which is fine as I don’t care if it looks like a jeep, but nothing concrete on when a possible restart may happen? I am sure the BS Kung-Flu nonsense is not helping things, but I have my fingers crossed that sanity might prevail? Any insider knowledge about this situation that you could share would appreciated.
My reply: It is very sad – and very telling – that FCA decided to sue Roxor rather than compete with Roxor, by offering a better (simpler, more affordable) Jeep. But that would entail crossing swords with the government, which FCA apparently does not want to do.
Roxor got around the government – the various “mandates” and regulations that make new vehicles far more expensive and complicated than they need to be – by offering their “old school” Jeep as an off-road-only vehicle, thus technically exempt from things like bumper-impact mandates and not needing air bags and back-up cameras and all the rest of that rigmarole. But the Roxor could be driven on-road (like an old Willys Jeep or CJ) and that was a real problem, like Peter Schiff poking holes in the 16th Amendment. 
Roxor will be bringing out an updated model at some point in 2021/2022 – assuming the world doesn’t end Because Corona. But it may not be sold in the United States Because Corona and the crippling of the economy (and life) that has been imposed in its name. Also because – I suspect – it is going to be a great deal more difficult to “get around” government mandates under a Biden regime. I can foresee “tougher” new rules making it very tough to offer anything plausibly on-road-usable as an”off road” vehicle. As, for, instance, by redefining what qualifies as an “off road” vehicle in such a way as to make anything that could be used on-road very hard to make/sell.
That’s what 80 million people supposedly “voted” for . . .
. . .
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Rozor is probably done here in the US. Even had the OM prevailed it was still an iffy business bet, because the Economy Prevention Agency is still going to do what they do. With the incoming old sniffer in chief it’s as dead as the dodo.
I’m actually surprised they haven’t come more for off road vehicles and other gas powered tools like lawnmowers and generators. Of course there are “California” versions for lawn mowers etc, but I imagine most will be in their sights as non electric cars start to go away.
Although I wished we lived in a free country where we could buy what we want, as a practical matter, we’re not missing much. Friend o’mine in FL bought a new Rozor last year. Hasn’t been too happy with it. Was going to make it street-legal, and even bought the stuff to do it, but still hasn’t done it, ’cause as it turns out, the thing isn’t very well-suited to driving on the road- and for off-road? Meh…it’s kinda like a Jeep-shaped version of a cheap Chinese ATV…it works, but….it’s like having the $2 Harbor Freight measuring caliper vs. the $80 German one…. And despite only having a few hunnert miles on the thing, it’s already been in the shop once for being stuck in limp mode (And they kept it for over a month…closer to two, if memory serves. Ended up being something simple and stupid….. Look up Mahindra tractor warranty complaints on YT – you’re basically on your own- and while the mechanicals are usually solid…the electrical/electronics are subpar with Mahindra).