BYD offices raided over copycat design allegations – report

Bailiffs in the Netherlands have conducted raids on BYD offices over allegations the company copied designs owned by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).

According to a report published by UK newspaper The Times, bailiffs acting for JLR seized records from BYD’s Schiedam and Hoofddorp premises back in August 2026, ahead of a legal challenge beginning this week in The Hague.

The court-ordered raids sought to gather evidence over claims the BYD Ti7 infringes the intellectual property of JLR concerning the Land Rover Defender.

Automotive media have drawn parallels between the Ti7’s looks and the Defender, which is Land Rover’s best-selling model globally.

Both JLR and BYD have declined to comment on the current legal stoush, according to overseas reports.

British buyers have embraced boxy Chinese SUVs that are reminiscent of Land Rover models, with the Jaecoo J7 claiming the top spot in the sales chart for the second consecutive month, per Autocar – and the Jaecoo is on track to be the UK’s best-selling vehicle of 2026.

As reported by CarExpert, the BYD Ti7 was granted approval by Australian authorities in recent days, paving the way for the SUV to go on sale locally.

While details have yet to be announced, government documents show two powertrains for the Ti7 – a 200kW plug-in hybrid with two-wheel drive, and a 300kW plug-in hybrid with all-wheel drive.

BYD isn't the only Chinese automaker to launch an SUV with styling similar to the Land Rover Defender.

While Defender-inspired SUVs aren’t as common in Australia as in China, their ranks include the Denza B5 and the GWM Haval H7, with the Geely Battleship 700, iCaur V25 and Jetour T2 due next year. Rox Motor has also confirmed an Australian launch, with the Chinese automaker offering a pair of SUVs visually quite similar to the Defender.

In China, there are many more, including the BAIC Xingtan 5X and Hongqi G919, among others.

Thus far, JLR has only pursued legal action against BYD for its Defender-esque SUV. However, the Indian-owned British automaker previously filed a lawsuit against Chinese automaker Jiangling in 2016, alleging before a Beijing court that the brand's Landwind X7 copied the design of its Range Rover Evoque.

JLR won this court case in 2019, and Jiangling was ordered to cease production of its copycat SUV and pay JLR 1.5 million yuan in compensation.

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