The BYD Ti7 seven-seat plug-in hybrid SUV has been approved for sale in Australia, making a local launch likely as Jaguar Land Rover pursues a Dutch court claim over its design.

Federal vehicle type approval VTA-066795 took effect on 6 November 2026, allowing BYD Australia to supply the model locally. The approval is not a launch announcement, and BYD Australia has not confirmed Australian timing, pricing or specifications.

The Australian Government’s ROVER register identifies BYD Australia Pty Ltd as the approval holder, with the vehicle listed under model code QZ and marketing designation Ti 7.

Its approval covers Australian Design Rules for emissions, energy consumption labelling and frontal, offset frontal and side-impact occupant protection. BYD had already trademarked the Ti7 name in Australia in December 2025.

The right-hand-drive UK model provides a guide to the Ti7’s overseas specification, with showroom arrivals scheduled for November 2026 and customer deliveries from January 2027. UK pricing starts at £47,995 on the road, equivalent to approximately A$93,200, rather than an announced.

In UK Excellence AWD form, the Ti7 combines a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with electric motors through BYD’s DM-p plug-in hybrid system, producing a combined 300kW.

A 35.6kWh battery provides up to 119km of electric driving range on the WLTP cycle, while the claimed 0-100km/h time is approximately 4.8 seconds.

The SUV measures 5146mm long including its tailgate-mounted spare wheel, with a side-hinged rear door, upright nose and squared wheel arches.

For Australian price context, the 2027 GWM Tank 500 Hi4-T PHEV Ultra costs $79,990 drive-away, while the Ti7’s UK starting price converts to approximately A$93,200 on the road; an Australian Ti7 price comparison remains unavailable. The Tank combines a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor and offers about 120km of electric range on the NEDC cycle, versus the UK Ti7’s 119km WLTP figure, which uses a different test procedure.

The Ti7 has been sold in China under BYD’s Fang Cheng Bao brand since September 2025, with an electric version joining that market’s range in April 2026.

Its Australian approval comes as the design dispute between BYD and Jaguar Land Rover reaches a Dutch court. As first reported by UK newspapers The Guardian and The Times, JLR alleges the Ti7 infringes intellectual property associated with the Land Rover Defender.

A preliminary hearing was scheduled for 11 November 2026 in The Hague. No finding of infringement has been made, and both companies declined to comment.

Any effect the case could have on an Australian launch remains unknown. The Ti7 now has federal approval, but its local launch plans are still unconfirmed.

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