Mahindra BE 6e SUV Renamed to BE 6 amid Legal Tussle with IndiGo

Mahindra vs IndiGo case: The automotive firm, Mahindra and Mahindra has decided to rename its newly launched SUV, the Mahindra BE 6e, to Mahindra BE 6, amid an ongoing tussle with InterGlobe Aviation, which runs IndiGo airlines in India. The decision comes as the company plans to battle InterGlobe Aviation in the court over a trademark.

Mahindra and Mahindra says that it already owns the trademark for the 'BE' mark and that it has applied for trademark registration for the 'BE 6e' mark under class 12 as a part of electric SUV portfolio. In its application, the company has contested InterGlobe Aviation's claim saying that the '6E' mark in IndiGo represents an airline, while in case of the Mahindra BE 6e, it represents a car, both of which are fundamentally different.

"We believe it differs fundamentally from IndiGo's '6E' which represents an airline, eliminating any risk of confusion. The distinct styling further emphasizes its uniqueness," Mahindra and Mahindra wrote in a release today.

"Our registration application is for an entirely different industry sector and product and hence do not see any conflict," the company added.

Mahindra vs IndiGo

It is worth noting that Mahindra and Mahindra launched the Mahindra BE 6e in India as a part of its 'Born Electric' platform alongside the Mahindra XEV 9e last month. The newly launched SUV is built on a new electric origin architecture - INGLO and is powered by Maia, which brings artificial intelligence (AI)-based features to the company's electric SUVs. The Mahindra BE 6e starts at Rs 18.90 lakhs in India.

Shortly after the launch of the electric SUV, InterGlobe Aviation filed a lawsuit against Mahindra and Mahindra subsidiary, Mahindra Electric Automobile Limited (MEAL) over the use of '6E' in its newly launched electric SUV claiming that it is conflicted with the branding used by IndiGo for its flights and in-flight services.

At the time, the carmaker had responded to the matter saying that the use of the '6e' mark does not violate any trademark and that it was holding discussions with the airline company to find an amicable solution. However, it seems that the two companies have not been able to resolve the issue, which has forced the company to go ahead with a legal battle and change the name of its electric SUV in the meantime.