BYD’s Netherlands offices searched in August 2026 amid Jaguar Land Rover dispute

BYD offices in the Netherlands searched amid Jaguar Land Rover dispute

BYD offices in the Netherlands were searched in August 2026 in connection with a legal dispute with Jaguar Land Rover, CarNewsChina reports. The British company alleges that the Ti7 SUV infringes intellectual property rights associated with the Land Rover Defender.

Court-appointed officers searched two BYD offices. Digital materials were seized in Schiedam and Hoofddorp, The Guardian reported.

The Ti7 launched in China in September 2025 under BYD’s Fang Cheng Bao brand. The model was initially called the Bao 7, then the Tai 7. The SUV has a boxy body, an upright front end, square wheel arches and an external rear storage compartment. Its appearance has repeatedly been compared with the Land Rover Defender.

The Chinese-market Ti7 measures 4,999 mm long, 1,995 mm wide and 1,865 mm tall. It has a 2,920 mm wheelbase and seats five.

BYD’s lawyers are challenging the scope of the materials seized, arguing that the officers conducted an excessively broad search for potential evidence. Jaguar Land Rover suspects the Chinese company dismantled a Defender to study and reproduce some of its technology for the Ti7.

According to a report dated November 9, 2026, a preliminary hearing in the dispute was scheduled for November 11 in The Hague. At the time of publication, the court had not found any infringement of intellectual property rights.

Neither company had publicly commented on the ongoing proceedings by the time of publication. BYD had also not responded to the outlet’s request for comment.