BYD Ti7 Faces JLR Copycat Claim After Dutch Office Raids
Bailiffs acting for Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) seized digital records from two Dutch offices of Chinese carmaker BYD ahead of a court hearing this week,
Bailiffs acting for Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) seized digital records from two Dutch offices of Chinese carmaker BYD ahead of a court hearing this week, according to a report in the Sunday Times. JLR accuses BYD of copying the look of its Defender off-roader.
The offices are in Schiedam and Hoofddorp. The seizure reportedly took place in August.
What the court will decide
A court in The Hague is due to rule this week on which of the seized records JLR can use as it pursues its case. The wider dispute turns on whether BYD's Ti7 sport utility vehicle (SUV) infringes intellectual property rights tied to the Defender.
The Ti7 is a boxy, seven-seat plug-in hybrid, meaning it can run on both a battery and a petrol engine. Motoring writers have compared it with the Defender since it went on sale in China in September last year. Top Gear magazine labeled it a "Chinese Defender clone".
Price gap in the UK
BYD plans to start selling the Ti7 in Britain in January at £47,995. That is more than £20,000 below the comparable seven-seat Defender.
On its website, BYD describes the vehicle's design as an "unapologetically boxy profile" that delivers an imposing, chunky look.
Pressure on established brands
The Ti7 is the latest example of Chinese manufacturers taking sales from long-established carmakers such as JLR.
The raid report emerged alongside separate comments from Yin Tongyue, chairman of Chinese automaker Chery. He told the Sunday Times that for long-term success, Chery needed to become "a British brand … a British company", and that it wanted to "find a sports car company that we can help".
Asked whether he wanted to buy Jaguar from JLR, he replied: "If we want to share, we should share with JLR, not in this meeting room."
The Hague ruling on the seized records is expected this week, and the Ti7 is due on UK sale in January.
