Court-ordered bailiffs raided the Dutch offices of BYD in August on behalf of Jaguar Land Rover ahead of a court hearing in The Hague concerning intellectual property rights, according to Theguardian.
JLR suspected that BYD reverse-engineered technology intended for its Ti7 SUV, according to reporting in the Sunday Times. Bailiffs secured digital records from BYD offices located in Schiedam and Hoofddorp before any materials could be destroyed.
Motoring analysts have compared BYD’s seven-seat plug-in hybrid SUV to the Land Rover Defender since the vehicle debuted in China in September 2025. BYD plans to introduce the model to the UK market in January at a price of £47,995. That figure undercuts the standard Defender by more than £20,000.
BBC Top Gear magazine referred to the BYD vehicle as a Chinese Defender clone
in its coverage. BYD defends the exterior design on its corporate website, stating that an unapologetically boxy profile delivers the imposing, chunky design that finds favour among SUV buyers, yet delivers a contemporary look
.
By comparison, JLR’s seven-seat Defender 110 starts at £68,465. JLR, owned by Tata Motors of India, retailed 29,500 Defender units between July and September 2026, marking an increase from 25,370 units during the same timeframe a year earlier.
This legal dispute is not the first time JLR has targeted a Chinese manufacturer over design similarities. In 2019, JLR successfully concluded a three-year court battle to halt sales of a copycat vehicle produced by Jiangling Motor Corporation.
At the same time, JLR has pursued joint ventures within China. The company established a partnership with Chery in 2012, which subsequently involved licensing out its discontinued Freelander brand.
Chery later introduced the Jaecoo model, which operates outside the joint venture. Market observers have labeled the Jaecoo the Temu Range Rover
due to its aesthetic parallels to JLR products following years of collaboration between the two businesses. The Jaecoo retails for £10,000 less than a Range Rover.
Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders shows the Jaecoo became the bestselling car in the UK during October 2026, registering 10,813 units and expanding its market share from 2.07 percent to 4.30 percent. Meanwhile, JLR reported that Range Rover sales dropped to 43,300 vehicles in the third quarter of 2026, down from 47,196 vehicles sold in the corresponding months of 2025.