There's a new company building cars in Detroit, and this one hails from India.

The company is Mahindra, an SUV and truck manufacturer which has recently branched out into new segments including electric cars. Now it is also producing the Roxor off-roader in Detroit for local sale and export.

You might be thinking the Roxor looks a lot like early CJ Jeeps, and you'd be right. Mahindra got its start in vehicle manufacturing shortly after World War 2 by building licensed Willys Jeeps. The company has continued to evolve the design since then, staying much closer to the original than Jeep itself has with the Wrangler.

Mahindra describes the Roxor as the ideal blend of old-school simplicity and modern technology. It features a steel body atop a ladder frame chassis with solid axles and leaf springs. The wheelbase measures 96 inches and the curb weight comes in at 3,035 pounds.

Mahindra Roxor

Mahindra Roxor

The sole powertrain is a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-4 diesel good for 62 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque, plus 3,490 pounds of towing capacity. It's mated to a 5-speed manual and 2-speed transfer case for the standard 4-wheel-drive system. The top speed is limited to 45 mph, which Mahindra deems more than necessary since the vehicle is meant for off-road use and not highway driving.

Here's the part that will really rock your socks off. The Roxor's base price is just $15,499. Mahindra has been able to keep prices low as the Roxor isn't a street-legal vehicle, meaning it doesn't have certification for things like crashworthiness and emissions. There are numerous options that can quickly inflate that figure, though.

With such attractive pricing, the Roxor makes an interesting option for anyone looking for a rough-and-ready vehicle to drive through the dirt and over rocks without doing much damage. The company is targeting farming and mining industries as well as off-roading enthusiasts.