BYD wins a round as Hague court orders JLR to destroy seized Ti7 files

A court in The Hague ruled on November 11, 2026 that Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) must destroy the records it seized from BYD (HKG: 1211) in the Netherlands, lifting an evidence seizure tied to JLR's claim that the BYD Ti7 copies the Land Rover Defender. The decision deals with the seized files, not with whether the Ti7 infringes any JLR right.

The preliminary relief judge found that JLR did not need the documents to argue that the Ti7 is a copy of the Defender. Nor did it need them to show the size of any damage, because BYD has never sold the Ti7 in the European Union. JLR must also stop the data from reaching any party other than BYD.

JLR has 24 hours to destroy the material, with penalty payments of €50,000 (c. $55,701) per hour if it fails to comply. The hearing was requested by BYD, whose lawyers had described the seizure as a "fishing expedition" that went beyond the scope of the copying complaint. The judge sided with BYD on that point.

Bailiffs acting for JLR under a court order took digital records from BYD offices in Schiedam and Hoofddorp in August, a raid that only became public on November 8. JLR wanted to secure the records before they could be destroyed. Details given at the hearing showed the haul included Ti7 launch plans, technical data and sensitive financial information on the car, as well as any material on BYD's systems relating to the Defender. Lawyers for both companies had already clashed in The Hague in October over how the seized records could be used.

The copying allegations themselves are being fought in separate cases. JLR has brought proceedings in The Hague for infringement of its model right to the Defender, and in Rotterdam for copyright infringement and slavish imitation, both as summary proceedings. JLR reportedly suspects that BYD reverse-engineered elements of the Defender while developing the Ti7. The Netherlands is home to BYD Europe, which is headquartered there and was the group's first overseas branch.

JLR had also sought €500,000 (c. $557,009) in penalty payments from BYD over alleged failures to comply with the original seizure order. BYD argued that because the seizure went too far, it should not be liable for those payments. Both companies declined to comment on the ongoing proceedings.

The Ti7 is not yet sold in the EU, but it is already on order in Britain. BYD UK priced it at £47,995 (c. $63,930) on the road, in a single Excellence AWD trim, with first customer deliveries in January 2027. The seven-seat Defender 110 starts at £68,465 (c. $91,197), more than £20,000 higher.

The UK-spec Ti 7 offers 970 litres of boot space with the third row folded, or 1,830 litres with both rear rows down (BYD)

BYD says the Ti7's seven-seat layout was developed specifically for European and UK buyers. Its DM-p plug-in hybrid system pairs a longitudinally mounted 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with front and rear electric motors for 408 PS, and BYD quotes 0-62 mph in 4.8 seconds and up to 74 miles (119 km) of electric-only range, with final specifications still to be confirmed. Its own launch material leans into the shape at the centre of the dispute, describing an "unapologetically boxy profile."

BYD said the first Ti7s would reach UK showrooms in November, so the car will be on display while the Dutch cases continue. The stakes there are high for JLR, since the Defender 110 is one of the country's best-selling cars. Standard UK equipment includes a 15.6-inch touchscreen, an 18-speaker sound system, three-zone climate control and an in-car refrigerator.

At home, the Ti7 is sold under BYD's Fangchengbao brand and went on sale in September 2025. Its retail sales fell to 23,663 in October from 27,544 in September, a drop of 14.1%. China pricing runs from 179,800 CNY (c. $26,760) to 239,800 CNY (c. $35,689).

Fangchengbao's own count put October Ti7 sales at 30,274, with 12,152 battery-electric and 18,122 hybrid versions. The brand reported total October sales of 43,872, up 41.3% from a year earlier and 1.6% from September, and said the Ti7 passed 300,000 cumulative sales on October 30.

Outside China, the Ti7 is already on sale in six Middle East and African countries, where Fangchengbao says it has sold about 27,000 units in half a year. Any EU launch of a China-built version would also run into new trade limits, since the EU is set to cap imports of Chinese hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles at 350,000 units a year from December 1, 2026, with the limit allowed to rise by up to 6% a year.

BYD UK offers the Ti 7 in six exterior finishes, with Matte Titanium Grey the priciest option at £2,000 (BYD)

JLR has won this kind of fight before, beating Jiangling Motor over a copycat vehicle in 2019, after a three-year court battle. It has also worked with Chinese rivals, forming a joint venture with Chery in 2012. That Jiangling case took years, and the Ti7 is due with British customers in January, so the Dutch copying cases may still be open when the first British customers take delivery.

Conversion rate: 1 USD = 6.7191 CNY, 1 EUR = 7.4852 CNY and 1 GBP = 8.9500 CNY as of November 11, 2026.