JLR sent bailiffs into BYD's Dutch offices over the Defender's shape

Jaguar Land Rover's dispute with BYD over the shape of the Defender reached the Netherlands in August, when court-appointed bailiffs acting for JLR seized digital records from two BYD offices. A hearing in The Hague this week will decide whether BYD has a case to answer over its Ti7, a seven-seat plug-in hybrid that goes on sale in Britain in January.

The legal question is whether the Ti7 copies the Defender. The commercial one is easier to price. The Ti7 costs £47,995, and Land Rover lists the Defender 110 from £64,315.

What the bailiffs took

The seizure took place at BYD offices in Schiedam and Hoofddorp, the Guardian reported, citing the Sunday Times. The records were taken under a court order, and JLR wanted them secured before they could be destroyed. The Times reported that JLR suspects BYD reverse-engineered technology used in the Ti7.

BYD's lawyers called the operation a "fishing expedition" and said too many files had been taken, the Telegraph reported. JLR's advisers said BYD tried to stonewall the seizure. Neither company will discuss the case in public. "JLR does not comment on ongoing legal proceedings," a spokesman told Car Dealer Magazine, and BYD said it would not comment on an ongoing legal matter.

The two sides were in a Hague courtroom last month to argue about how the seized records could be used. This week's hearing is expected to cover procedural questions, including whether the claim can go ahead, according to the Telegraph. It will not settle whether the Ti7 infringes JLR's rights.

The car at the centre

The Ti7 is BYD's first seven-seat car for the UK, priced at £47,995 on the road in a single Excellence AWD specification (BYD UK, 31 July). It uses the company's DM-p plug-in hybrid system: a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, two electric motors, a 35.6kWh battery and a combined 408PS. BYD claims 74 miles of electric-only running and a 0-62mph time of 4.8 seconds (Autocar, 31 July). The third row was developed for Europe and the UK, and customer deliveries begin in January.

In China the car sells as the Fangchengbao Tai 7, a five-seat SUV that went on sale on 9 September 2025 (CnEVPost).

BYD's own description of the design is unusually direct. "An unapologetically boxy profile delivers the imposing, chunky design that finds favour among SUV buyers, yet delivers a contemporary look," the company says in its UK launch release. Top Gear magazine went further and called the Ti7 the "Chinese Defender clone", a phrase the Guardian used in its report.

The price gap depends on which Defender you use. Land Rover lists the Defender 110 from £64,315 and the longer 130 from £84,250 (Land Rover). The plug-in Defender range starts at £71,840, according to the franchised retailer Dick Lovett, and Land Rover builds the P400e with five seats, with the battery under the load floor (Land Rover specifications). Against that car the Ti7 is about £23,800 cheaper and carries two more seats.

Why the Netherlands

The case is being heard in the Netherlands because Dutch courts have a reputation for enforcing intellectual property claims, the Telegraph reported. The offices searched are in Schiedam and Hoofddorp. The Telegraph also reported that JLR ultimately wants the car kept off the European market, though any final ruling will come after the January launch.

JLR has won this kind of case before

In 2019 the Beijing Chaoyang District Court found that the Landwind X7, built by Jiangling, had copied five features of the Range Rover Evoque. Production and sales were ordered to stop, and JLR was awarded 1.5m yuan, about $223,000 at the time (Caixin, 23 April 2019). Jiangling appealed.

Shape protection has been harder to secure in Britain. In 2020 the High Court upheld a refusal to register the Defender 90 and 110 shapes as trademarks after Ineos opposed the applications, clearing the way for the Grenadier. The court backed the Intellectual Property Office's finding that the shapes lacked distinctive character, including its conclusion that features obvious to enthusiasts "may be unimportant, or may not even register, with average consumers" (Car Dealer, 4 August 2020).

That history helps explain why the Dutch case appears to rest on evidence of copying rather than resemblance alone: JLR is trying to show that BYD took something specific, not merely that the Ti7 looks familiar.

The market it lands in

The Ti7 arrives in a market where the Defender's silhouette is already a commercial genre. The Jaecoo 7, nicknamed the Temu Range Rover, was Britain's best-selling new car in October with 3,412 registrations, ahead of the Ford Puma on 3,369 (SMMT). It also topped March and September, according to Car Dealer, and sits second for the year to date on 42,885, behind the Puma's 46,295.

Chinese brands took almost a quarter of UK registrations in September (Autocar, 2 October), a shift we covered when those figures landed, and Chery's iCaur brand has confirmed a UK launch next year with the V27, another Defender-shaped SUV (Car Dealer).

Defender volumes show what is at stake for JLR, whose recovery has been built on exactly this model. The company retailed 29,500 Defenders in the quarter to 30 September, second only to the Range Rover's 43,300 (JLR, 3 October).

What it means for buyers

Nothing in this week's hearing stops the Ti7 going on sale in January. JLR's aim, as reported, is to have the car kept off the European market eventually, which would be a matter for a later ruling rather than an order this week.

For anyone shopping in the £45,000 to £50,000 bracket, the Ti7 remains a seven-seat plug-in hybrid with 74 miles of electric range at a price below the five-seat plug-in Defender. For Defender buyers, the case changes nothing about the car in the showroom.

The open question is what happens to European supply if JLR wins. A ruling in its favour would not unwind the launch, but it could complicate the years after it.

Sources

The Guardian, "Chinese carmaker BYD's offices in Netherlands raided over JLR 'copycat car' claim", 8 November 2026. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/nov/08/chinese-carmaker-byd-offices-raided-netherlands-land-rover-copycat-claim
The Telegraph via Yahoo Finance, "Jaguar Land Rover raids BYD offices over 'copycat Defender'", 8 November 2026. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/jaguar-land-rover-raids-byd-131500386.html
Car Dealer Magazine, "Jaguar Land Rover raids BYD offices as battle over 'copycat' Defender escalates", 9 November 2026. https://cardealermagazine.co.uk/jaguar-land-rover-raids-byd-offices-as-battle-over-copycat-defender-escalates/328757
BYD UK, "BYD confirms pricing and specifications of its eagerly-anticipated first seven-seat SUV in UK - Ti 7", 31 July 2026. https://bydukmedia.com/en/news-articles/byd-confirms-pricing-and-specifications-of-its-eagerly-anticipated-first-seven-seat-suv-in-uk-%E2%80%93-ti-7.html
Autocar, "BYD goes after Defender with boxy £48k, 402bhp hybrid SUV", 31 July 2026. https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/byd-goes-after-defender-boxy-%C2%A348k-402bhp-hybrid-suv
Land Rover, "Defender 110 models and specifications", accessed 9 November 2026. https://www.landrover.co.uk/defender/defender-110/models-and-specifications.html
SMMT, "Car registrations: October 2026", 5 November 2026. https://www.smmt.co.uk/vehicle-data/car-registrations/
JLR, "JLR delivers growth in UK and overseas markets offsetting challenges in China and the Middle East", 3 October 2026. https://media.jlr.com/news/2026/10/jlr-delivers-growth-uk-and-overseas-markets-offsetting-challenges-china-and-middle/
Caixin Global, "Chinese Company Found Guilty of Making Jaguar Land Rover Copycat Is Appealing", 23 April 2019. https://www.caixinglobal.com/2019-04-23/chinese-company-found-guilty-of-making-jaguar-land-rover-copycat-is-appealing-101407532.html
Car Dealer Magazine, "Jaguar Land Rover loses appeal over registering Land Rover shapes for Defender", 4 August 2020. https://cardealermagazine.co.uk/jaguar-land-rover-loses-appeal-registering-land-rover-shapes-defender/199324
Autocar, "Jaecoo 7 named UK's best-selling car as Chinese brands take nearly quarter market", 2 October 2026. https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/jaecoo-7-named-uks-best-selling-car-chinese-brands-take-nearly-quarter-market
CnEVPost, "BYD Fang Cheng Bao officially launches Tai 7 SUV", 9 September 2025. https://cnevpost.com/2025/09/09/byd-fang-cheng-bao-launches-tai-7