BYD Cracks Down on Online Smears as Denza Debuts in India and Dutch Court Orders JLR to Destroy Files

BYD's legal department had a busy Friday. Police in separate cases arrested three individuals over allegedly false or defamatory posts about the company on the internet, while civil courts ruled against four online accounts, the automaker disclosed. The crackdown came the same day the stock slipped 2.1% in Hong Kong trading, caught in a broad pullback among auto and electric-vehicle names.

The company also pushed back Thursday against claims that a digital-energy business was being sold to BYD, calling the assertions false and wholly without factual basis.

Denza Enters India With Two Models

Per Reuters, BYD launched its luxury Denza brand in India on Friday. The lineup opens with the D9 electric MPV and the performance-oriented Z9 GT.

The India debut follows a rough patch on quality control at home. On Wednesday, BYD apologized for incorrectly mounted wheels on some Da Tang SUVs, tracing the fault to supplier Hubei Boyu Industrial Co Ltd and stating that no safety risk had been identified. Affected owners are being offered free inspections and wheel replacements, along with loaner vehicles or reimbursement of transport costs and a restart of their warranty coverage.

The Hague Sides With BYD Over JLR

In Europe, a Dutch court on Wednesday ordered Jaguar Land Rover to destroy files seized at BYD. The ruling stems from an intellectual property dispute between the two automakers tied to the Ti7 and Defender models. BYD shares closed Friday at EUR 7.60, down 2.1%.

Brussels is also paying attention. On November 4, fourteen members of the European Parliament urged the European Commission to assess cybersecurity risks posed by BYD vehicles and to consider possible restrictions. BYD responded that European vehicle and cloud data cannot be accessed remotely from China.

October Volume Rises, but the Year-to-Date Tally Lags

On the operating side, BYD reported November 1 that October sales of new-energy vehicles reached roughly 490,000 units, up 10.97% from the same month a year earlier. For January through October, however, volumes fell 2.16%, with about 3.62 million new-energy vehicles sold in the period.

Earnings offered a mixed picture. On October 29, BYD posted third-quarter 2026 net profit attributable to shareholders of RMB 10.02 billion. According to Reuters, profit growth fell short of analyst expectations.