8:21 am, November 9, 2026
Jaguar Land Rover has raided two offices belonging to BYD as part of a row between the two carmakers over an alleged ‘copycat’ version of the Defender.
The Sunday Times reports that court-appointed bailiffs acting on behalf of JLR seized digital records from Dutch BYD offices in Schiedam and Hoofddorp in August.
The move is reportedly linked to an ongoing legal dispute over BYD’s Ti7 SUV, which went on sale in China last September.
JLR says the model has copied elements of the Defender and has accused BYD of reverse-engineering its technology.
The firm has now moved to secure digital records in order to prevent them being potentially destroyed.
A court hearing in The Hague is due to take place this week to consider the allegations.
The dispute comes just weeks after Range Rover boss Martin Limpert told Car Dealer that JLR does not appreciate seeing its designs copied by Chinese brands.
A flurry of Chinese brands have launched cars aping the design of both Land Rovers and Range Rovers in recent years, with the most well-known being the top-selling Jaecoo 7.
That car is unofficially known as the ‘Temu Range Rover’, particularly in the UK, where it was the best-selling new car in March, September and October.
Last month, Chery’s iCaur brand confirmed it would be arriving in the UK next year, with the first model to launch being the Land Rover Defender-esque V27.
Meanwhile, the Ti7 is set to go on sale to UK buyers in January, with the seven-seat plug-in hybrid priced from £47,995.
A spokesman for JLR said: ‘JLR does not comment on ongoing legal proceedings.’ BYD declined to comment.