Searches Conducted at BYD Offices Over Suspicions of Copying Land Rover Defender
In August, court bailiffs, acting on a court order, conducted searches at BYD offices in the Netherlands to seize documents related to the case concerning the Ti7's resemblance to the Defender.
The searches took place in Schiedam and Hoofddorp. The Hague court will hold a preliminary hearing on the case on Wednesday, which is linked to the external resemblance between the new BYD Ti7 and the Land Rover Defender. The decision to conduct the searches was made to prevent the documents from being destroyed.
Jaguar Land Rover declined to comment on the ongoing proceedings. A BYD UK representative also refrained from answering questions for the same reason.
Comparisons between the Ti7 and the Defender emerged after plans to introduce the SUV to the British market were confirmed. The model is five metres long—comparable to the Defender 110. The expected price of the Ti7 is around 50,000 pounds, approximately 20,000 pounds less than the most affordable version of the Defender 110.
The Ti7 is equipped with a plug-in hybrid powertrain featuring a 1.5-litre petrol engine. In China, a fully electric version has also been announced.
Previously, Jaguar Land Rover had successfully pursued legal action against the manufacturer of the LandWind X7, with the court ruling that the model bore too strong a resemblance to the Range Rover Evoque. Simultaneously, JLR collaborates with Chinese company Chery in a joint venture, which resulted in the Freelander 8 SUV.
