EVDirect, the appointed local distributor for BYD, has officially announced the upcoming Australian launch of the upscale Denza brand, slated for 2025. It will seek to challenge existing luxury brands such as Lexus, Genesis, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. Denza is among the wave of new Chinese automotive brands aiming to secure a foothold in Australia's new-car market.
History has shown through the experiences of Genesis, Lexus, and the departed Infiniti that establishing a luxury automotive brand takes substantial investment, particularly when challenging the industry's top-tier brands.
While the specific models to be introduced remain unconfirmed, Denza, now fully integrated under the BYD umbrella, boasts a portfolio of and electric vehicles (EVs) in its home market of China. This year marked Denza's expansion to right-hand drive production for the Hong Kong market, making it the first region beyond mainland China to offer Denza vehicles. This manufacturing capacity can easily be scaled to supply the Australian market as well.plug-in hybrid (PHEV)
Presently in Hong Kong, the sole Denza model available is the D9, an electric people mover that competes with vehicles such as the Zeekr 009. Meanwhile, in China, Denza bolsters its lineup with a plug-in hybrid variant of the people mover, named the D9 DM-i. Denza's extended range, featuring the N7 and N8 mid-size SUVs, the N9 large SUV, along with the Z9 sedan and the Z9 GT liftback, all of which are available in both all-electric and plug-in hybrid iterations, are poised for market release or already up for sale in China.
There's also speculation about Denza's potential expansion into European and UK territories. The Denza marque was born from a joint venture struck between BYD and Mercedes-Benz (initially Daimler) in 2010 and was officially established in 2012. Initially, the venture was balanced with equal shares between BYD and Mercedes-Benz, but the German automaker downsized its stake to 10 percent in 2021. Recently, Mercedes-Benz disposed of its residual 10 percent share in the venture, rendering Denza a wholly-owned subsidiary within the BYD corporate family.
About the author
Danny is a consultant and entrepreneur working at the cutting edge of the electric vehicle and energy transition. He is passionate about educating and helping consumers make better decisions through data. He is the founder of zecar and is currently the EV Innovation Manager at Endeavour Energy.
Stay up to date with the latest EV news
- Get the latest news and update
- New EV model releases
- Get money savings-deal
Privacy policy