Court-ordered bailiffs acting for Jaguar Land Rover seized digital records from the Dutch offices of Chinese carmaker BYD in Schiedam and Hoofddorp. The raid occurred in August, according to the Sunday Times, just before a legal showdown scheduled for this week in The Hague. JLR suspects BYD reverse-engineered technology for its Ti7 SUV and wanted to secure evidence before it could be destroyed. Both companies declined to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings.
The Defender Clone Dispute
Motoring experts have likened the seven-seat plug-in hybrid Ti7 to the Land Rover Defender since it went on sale in China in September last year. The BBC’s Top Gear magazine called the vehicle the "Chinese Defender clone," a label that underscores the visual similarities between the two models. BYD plans to launch the Ti7 in the UK market in January at a price of £47,995. This price undercuts the Defender by more than £20,000, creating a significant competitive gap in the premium SUV segment. The company describes its design on its website as an "unapologetically boxy profile" that delivers a contemporary look while appealing to buyers who prefer imposing aesthetics.
JLR’s seven-seat Defender 110 starts from £68,465 and remains one of the country’s bestselling cars. Tata Motors, which owns the UK-based carmaker, sold 29,500 Defenders to retail customers between July and September this year. That figure compares with 25,370 units sold during the same period a year earlier, indicating steady demand despite the emerging threat from Chinese rivals. The current case is not the first time JLR has pursued a Chinese company over copycat allegations. In 2019, JLR won a three-year court battle to stop Jiangling Motor Corporation from selling a similar vehicle. However, the relationship with some Chinese partners is not purely adversarial. JLR formed a joint venture with Chery in 2012, which later included licensing the discontinued Freelander brand. Chery’s Jaecoo model, often called the Temu Range Rover, became the bestselling car in the UK in October with 10,813 registrations. Its market share jumped from 2.07% to 4.30%, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders. Meanwhile, JLR’s Range Rover sales fell to 43,300 in the third quarter of this year, down from 47,196 in the same months last year. The contrast highlights how quickly market dynamics can shift when a rival offers a near-identical product at a fraction of the cost.
