Buying a Jaecoo 7 Is “Betraying Britain”? Seriously?

A Telegraph columnist says Jaecoo buyers are “betraying Britain”. I examine the counterfeit comparison, Land Rover’s Jeep origins and the Chery connection, and ask why ordinary motorists should apologise for buying a car they can afford

Apparently, buying a car you can afford could now qualify as betraying Britain. Particularly if that car is a Jaecoo 7 and you’ve had the audacity to enjoy its resemblance to something considerably more expensive. A Telegraph column suggests that motorists who cannot afford a Range Rover should accept their position in the financial pecking order and stop embarrassing themselves with a Chinese alternative. What the hell? Really?

There are comparisons with fake Rolexes, insults directed at buyers and an extraordinary defence of expensive cars as objects that wealthy people should feel smug about owning. Somewhere in all this, the family trying to balance its monthly budget appears to have become responsible for the decline of British civilisation.

I have a few things to say about that.

What did The Telegraph say about Jaecoo buyers?

Writing in The Telegraph on 28 August 2026, William Sitwell presented his argument under the headline: “If you drive China’s fake Range Rover, you’re betraying Britain.”

He focuses on the Jaecoo 7, whose styling clearly echoes elements of the Range Rover family, before bringing in the larger Jaecoo 8 and BYD’s Ti7.

He describes buyers as “mutts” and “hustled beatniks”. That feels unnecessarily vicious. Why become so emotionally invested in insulting ordinary people simply for choosing a new car that suits their tastes and budgets?

Then comes this:

“You’re not supposed to be able to afford the real thing, which is why those who can are so smug about it.”

Well. At least we’ve established the admission requirements.

A small nod to Mr Sitwell here. He is a restaurant critic and MasterChef judge, more accustomed to sampling food than cars, and there is clearly comic exaggeration in the piece. He mocks his own Tiguan and finishes with a celebration of rickety cars and moth-eaten jumpers.

He may well be pulling our leg. The argument still deserves scrutiny.

Is the Jaecoo 7 really a fake Range Rover?

The fake Rolex analogy falls apart almost immediately.

A counterfeit Rolex wears the Rolex name. It presents itself as a product from a manufacturer that had nothing to do with making it.

A Jaecoo has JAECOO written across it in letters you can practically read from an orbital satellite.

The buyer knows what they are purchasing. The dealer knows what they are selling. The paperwork presumably contains several mentions of Jaecoo. Where, exactly, is the deception?

You can criticise the design for being derivative. Its designers have clearly spent time admiring somebody else’s homework. But that observation tells us very little about the motivations of the people buying it.

Perhaps they like the shape. Perhaps they want the equipment, the space or a monthly payment they can manage alongside the mortgage and food bill.

Perhaps they compared several cars and decided this one suited them.

The article assumes that buyers are trying to impersonate Range Rover owners. It offers no evidence for that assumption. People should be allowed to enjoy a vehicle’s appearance without submitting a certificate of social ranking.

Resemblance also proves nothing about equivalent engineering, refinement or capability. Those qualities deserve proper testing, on their own merits.

Land Rover’s own story began with the Jeep

There is an awkward historical detail here.

The original Land Rover was inspired by the wartime Jeep. As the National Motor Museum explains, prototypes appeared in 1947, ahead of the production vehicle’s launch in 1948.

Rover recognised the usefulness of an existing concept and developed its own vehicle around that opportunity. The resulting Land Rover established an identity and engineering legacy that deserve enormous respect.

It also demonstrates how the motor industry works. Manufacturers observe successful products, borrow ideas and develop competing interpretations. Overseas inspiration is woven into British automotive history.

Imagine telling those early Land Rover customers they were humiliating themselves because their vehicle owed something to an American Jeep.

A little perspective would be useful before we declare every familiar silhouette a national embarrassment.

Tata ownership and the Chery connection

The patriotism argument becomes more complicated when you examine the companies involved.

JLR is part of Tata Motors, an Indian company. Its British heritage, engineering expertise and workforce remain hugely important. I want those people and their jobs to thrive.

But corporate ownership makes this theatrical division between noble British products and unwelcome foreign influence rather difficult to maintain.

Then there is Chery.

Chery is the Chinese group behind Jaecoo. It is also JLR’s joint-venture partner in China. In 2024, the companies announced plans for electric vehicles using Chery architecture and the Freelander name. The agreement involved licensing that name to their joint venture.

That distinction matters. It concerns a specific brand and partnership, rather than giving every Chery product Land Rover credentials.

Even so, the irony is considerable. The company behind what Sitwell considers a shameful imitation is also considered a suitable partner for vehicles carrying a name from Land Rover’s heritage.

I’m guessing that doesn’t sit well with Sitwell.

Chinese collaboration is welcome at a corporate level, while the customer choosing a Chinese car for the driveway apparently deserves a lecture about treachery.

Who created the affordability gap?

JLR has deliberately pursued luxury. Its own corporate positioning emphasises desirability and discerning clients. Moving upmarket has been a business decision.

Range Rover has long occupied the aspirational end of the market. I understand that. But the broader Land Rover story includes farmers, tradespeople, families and owners who needed a practical, capable vehicle.

The old Defender had a working purpose. Discovery reached a wider family audience. Neither was universally cheap, but the customer base extended well beyond people buying glamorous accessories to demonstrate their wealth.

As prices climb and products become more luxurious, some buyers get left behind. Those people still need cars. They still want space, comfort, equipment and something they enjoy looking at.

Competitors will happily serve them.

You cannot keep moving products beyond people’s budgets and then act offended when they shop elsewhere. That gap is a business opportunity. Filling it is exactly what a competitive market encourages.

British motorists cannot fix JLR’s strategy

Britain’s automotive challenges extend far beyond one family’s SUV purchase.

JLR has faced declining sales in China and disruption from American tariffs, alongside other operational pressures. Those problems involve export exposure, investment and strategic decisions made far above the average motorist’s pay grade. 

The family choosing an affordable SUV did not determine JLR’s product strategy. They are simply trying to get through the month.

If we want people to buy vehicles that support British manufacturing, we need competitive products and a convincing ownership proposition.

Guilt tactics are a fairly poor substitute for value.

BrownCarGuy Says: I have been a Range Rover fan too

I understand the appeal of a Range Rover. The presence, the comfort, the prestige, the elbow resting on the window as you survey the traffic below. I’ve enjoyed that sense of occasion myself.

I’m also aware, anecdotally, of reliability problems that have let owners down. The old Middle Eastern joke about taking a Land Rover into the desert and a Land Cruiser if you want to come back captures that reputation rather neatly. It remains a joke, rather than a comparative reliability study.

But affection for a brand has never entitled me to dictate what somebody else should buy.

Every manufacturer should earn the customer’s money through its products and the way it treats people. Being Chinese earns a brand no automatic endorsement from me. Being British earns it no exemption from criticism.

I will defend your right to choose the car that suits your needs, your budget and your style.

If that is a Range Rover, enjoy it. If it looks a bit like a Range Rover, fair play. If it is a Kia, Dacia, used Honda or the car you already own, you owe absolutely nobody an apology.

Are we issuing cars according to social rank now? Will the finance application require references from the local aristocracy?

We should welcome more people being able to access comfortable, useful, attractive cars, and expect established manufacturers to respond with better products, better value and better service.

So, Mr Sitwell, if you are having a laugh, fair enough. You certainly served up something worth chewing over.

If the argument is being offered seriously, however, it needs rather more time in the oven. Patriotism won’t cover the monthly payment.

Would you consider a Jaecoo 7? If you own one, what influenced your decision: styling, price, equipment or something else? Watch my full video and join the discussion below.

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