The BYD Ti7 has gone on sale in the UK as the Chinese brand's biggest model, priced from £47,995.

Sized between the 110 and 130 variants of the rival Land Rover Defender, it undercuts the British 4x4 and the petrol-engined Mercedes-Benz GLC and BMW X3.

The Ti7 will be the first UK-bound car to use the Chinese brand’s new, performance-focused ‘DM-p’ plug-in-hybrid powertrain.

This comprises a turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine, two electric motors (one per axle) and a 35.6kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack.

The set-up produces a combined 402bhp, giving a 0-62mph time of 4.8sec and an electric-only range of 74 miles. 

The Ti7's chunky styling evokes classical 4x4s such as the Defender and Toyota Land Cruiser, with bluff edges to the design and a spare wheel carrier mounted on the boot.

It will be sold in the UK under the BYD brand, but it is in effect a larger sibling of the Denza Bao 5 that's also due to arrive here later this year.

In their native China, both the Bao 5 and Ti7 are sold by BYD’s upmarket, youth-focused Fangchengbao brand.

Asked why the Ti7 isn't being sold as a Denza, a spokesperson for BYD UK previously told Autocar that the differentiation is because the body-on-frame Bao 5 was concevied as an off-roader, while the monocoque Ti7 is meant for buyers who would like rugged styling but may not need off-road capabilities. 

In China, the Ti7 is also offered with a battery-electric powertrain compatible with BYD’s ‘Flash’ chargers, which are capable of delivering up to 1500kW.

A network of 300 such chargers is due to be built in the UK this year to support the launch of the Denza Z9 GT, but it remains to be seen whether the fully electric Ti7 will also come here.

Customer deliveries of the Ti7 will begin in January.