Jaguar Land Rover accuses BYD of copying Defender after raid on Dutch offices

The raid and the claim

In August 2026, bailiffs acting for Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) searched BYD's offices in Schiedam and Hoofddorp in the Netherlands and seized digital files. A court approved the operation, which aimed to secure the data before it could be destroyed. JLR suspects BYD reverse-engineered a Land Rover Defender to develop technology for the Ti7, a seven-seat plug-in hybrid SUV on sale in China since September 2025 as the Fangchengbao Ti7. BBC's Top Gear had already called it a Chinese Defender clone. A Portuguese outlet placed the raided offices in Amsterdam, but the other reports name Schiedam and Hoofddorp. The dispute goes before a Dutch court in The Hague in the week of 9 November 2026, where judges will weigh intellectual property infringement allegations. BYD and JLR both declined to comment, citing ongoing legal proceedings.

Price gap and sales pressure

BYD plans to sell the Ti7 in Britain in January 2027 at 47,995 pounds, more than 20,000 pounds below the 68,465 pounds starting price of the seven-seat Defender 110. The Chinese SUV also comes with a built-in fridge, which the British model charges extra for.

BYD Ti7 planned UK price47,995

Land Rover Defender 110 seven-seat starting price68,465

BYD Ti7 planned UK price

47995 GBP

Land Rover Defender 110 seven-seat starting price

68465 GBP

Data from the article text

The Defender is among Britain's best-selling vehicles, and JLR delivered 29,500 units to retail customers in July to September 2026, up from 25,370 in the same period a year earlier.

July-September 202525,370

July-September 202629,500

July-September 2025

25370 units

July-September 2026

29500 units

Data from the article text

A bigger pressure point is the Jaecoo 7, a Chinese take on Range Rover models that sells better in Britain than the original and was the country's best-selling car in October 2026. Press nicknamed it the 'Temu Range Rover', and it costs about a third less. It is unclear whether the Ti7 will reach the Dutch market.

Earlier disputes and insurance

JLR has clashed with Chinese manufacturers before. In 2019, after a trial lasting three years, it won a case against Jiangling, whose Landwind X7 was described as a copy of the Range Rover Evoque, and a Chinese court then ordered production of the X7 halted. Other Chinese Defender lookalikes include the Stone 01 and Jetour T2, both from 2023. In August 2026 the Dutch insurer Unive said it refuses to insure Jaecoo and several other Asian brands, citing repair costs and missing parts, though it still insures BYD models.

European security concerns

Separately, 14 members of the European Parliament led by Francois Kalfon asked the European Commission to have the EU cybersecurity agency investigate BYD urgently. Their request followed a decision by the US military to bar Chinese vehicles from an air base on Japan's Okinawa island. Kalfon points to a 2017 Chinese law that obliges Chinese companies to cooperate with intelligence requests. BYD Europe, which faces the Dutch court this week, denies any risk and says its vehicle data cannot be accessed from China, with data flows from its Chinese and European cars kept strictly separate. The MEPs remain sceptical and demand an independent inquiry, pointing to a Norwegian army exercise where rented Chinese cars reportedly filmed soldiers and access codes. Poland and the United Kingdom already restrict Chinese vehicles.