It is reported that the search took place at BYD's offices in the Netherlands. French police acting on behalf of Jaguar Land Rover ( JLR ) seized relevant documents ahead of this week's court hearing. The case involves allegations that they have "imitated" Land Rover Defender ( Defender ) models Ti 7 SUV.
SUV, who bears a striking resemblance to Defender, sues BYD in court
After BYD launched the Ti model in Europe and the UK at the end of July, many people – including Electrek – compared it to the iconic Land Rover Defender, due to the model's squared, robust (yet still elegant) design style.
BYD even describes it as having “an un concealed square box silhouette,” stating that it offers “a robust and powerful design favored by SUV buyers, while also presenting a modern appearance.”
Obviously, JLR also noticed this. According to a report by The Times, court bailiffs acting on behalf of this British luxury car manufacturer conducted a surprise search of BYD's offices in the Netherlands and seized digital records.
The search took place before a preliminary court ruling on Wednesday, which will determine whether BYD Ti 7 SUV has infringed upon Land Rover Defender's intellectual property rights.
JLR claims that BYD disassembled the Land Rover Defender to study some of its technologies through reverse engineering. BYD, on the other hand, states that it fully cooperated with the requirements put forward by JLR before the search took place.
According to local media reports, BYD's lawyers described the search of JLR as a "dragnet-style evidence collection" and claimed that "too many documents were seized."
JLR refuses to comment; BYD, on the other hand, stated that since the case is still under consideration, they will not make any comments at this time.
Ti is currently listed in the UK, with a starting price of £47,995 (US$64,000). This price is over £20,000 (US$26,500) lower than the starting price of the plug-in hybrid version Defender in the UK market, which is £71,840 (US$95,500).
The vehicle features a seven-seater layout. BYD stated that this design was specifically developed for the European and British markets.
As the first model in the UK market to be powered by its DM-p (a dual-mode performance system consisting of Dual Mode and performance), BYD claims that the Ti 7 "far surpasses its closest competitors," which seems to be another indirect jab at Defender.
This system is equipped with three electric motors and a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine, providing a combined output of 402 horsepower (408 PS), with an acceleration time from 0 to 62 miles per hour of 4.8 seconds.
This engine is primarily powered by a 35.6-kilowatt-hour BYD blade battery. This battery can provide a maximum pure-electric range of 74 miles; in urban driving conditions, the pure-electric range can reach up to 102 miles.
Currently, this vehicle is only available in the UK with the flagship Excellence AWD configuration. BYD claims that the Ti 7 offers a "level of equipment that surpasses anything its competitors can provide at this price point."
As the preliminary ruling on Wednesday approaches, the outside world expects to learn more about the progress of the legal dispute between BYD and JLR soon. Electrek stated that this is still an ongoing story, and there will be further updates to come.
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