Land Rover sues BYD to protect its famous Defender

Standoff between Land Rover and BYD. The British manufacturer has reportedly accused the Chinese group of having copied the famous Defender for its Ti 7 plug-in hybrid SUV. BYD's offices in the Netherlands were reportedly raided in August as part of this dispute for the seizure of digital files, revealed the Sunday Times. According to the newspaper, a Dutch court must examine the case this Wednesday, November 11 to determine whether BYD must answer for these accusations. The Chinese brand is suspected of having dismantled a Defender to reverse-engineer and draw inspiration from some of its technologies, details the Sunday Times. Contacted by Le Figaro, BYD does not wish to comment on the matter.

It's hard to ignore an air of resemblance between the Defender and the Ti 7. Very popular in the United Kingdom, the show Top Gear even presented the Chinese vehicle as a "clone" of the famous British off-roader. To make matters worse, BYD has chosen to hunt on Land Rover's lands: the United Kingdom will become the first European country to see the Ti 7 arrive, with deliveries planned from January 2027. The seven-seater Chinese model has an ultra-competitive price which risks putting pressure on its old competitor: it is announced from 47,995 pounds sterling (around 58,000 euros), compared to 58,655 pounds for the Defender 90 (or almost 70,000 euros). The Defender 110, with dimensions closer to the Ti 7, is sold from 64,315 pounds sterling (around 77,000 euros). For the moment, the Ti 7 is not sold in France.

Land Rover inspires many SUVs with its Defender

This is not the first time that JLR has inspired other manufacturers. The Jaecoo 7 has been nicknamed the “Range Rover Temu”, in reference to the Chinese e-commerce platform. In our region, the Ineos Grenadier manufactured in Hambach (Moselle) barely hides its connection with the old version of the Defender, with a more rustic style. Land Rover had even sued this company, but the action ended in failure in 2020. More recently, visitors to the Paris Motor Show were able to admire the immense Chinese 4x4 BAW 212, which also evokes the lines of the old Defender.