BYD’s premium brand will kick in with four outlets selling super-hybrid SUVs.

HAVING determined which products it sell in New Zealand, BYD’s Denza premium brand has now shared something of where they will avail.

Right now, the only operating outlet is in Auckland, with a store in Newmarket and a pop-up in East Tamaki that will become a full blown outlet next month.

Intent is to establish one sales outlet apiece in Wellington and Christchurch, by end of March.

Denza regional public relations manager Paul Ellis says volume ambition is very different to that expressed by BYD, which as previously explained operates here under a third party distributor, whereas the upmarket marque is a factory effort.

Says Ellis: “We are a premium brand so that is our competitive set … Lexus, BMW, Range Rover, etc. Our target would be similar volume to those brands. Denza is not a mainstream brand like BYD.”

The regional office for rights’ holder BYD Australia and New Zealand is in Melbourne, Australia, but Denza will have a small office here, with a small team, he says. Staff recruitment has begun, with first quarter start up the plan.

The focus for the next year is with two just-confirmed products, the B5 and B8 SUVs. Says Ellis: “They are volume segments.”

The hope to “add another 2-3 cars in the next 12-18 months to the range.” Those products have yet to be identified.

The parent brand and its upmarket offshoot make are under wholly different distribution arrangements here.

There is still no clarity if BYD Australia and NZ has any aspiration to achieve BYD in NZ; just as it did in Australia earlier this year.

Presently rights are with BYD NZ, run by Ateco Automotive, which began with the Chinese make in 2023, with the launch of the Atto3 electric car. Ateco represents a number of brands here.

Pricing of $88,990 has announced for the standard B5 and $96,990 for the B5 Leopard and $109,990 to $117,990 for the larger B8 in its seven family-first and dearer six-seater (as an executive setup with individual second-row chairs) configurations.

Both Denza models are on BYD’s DM-O (Dual Mode Offroad) super-hybrid underpinning also employed by the BYD Shark 6 utility.

B5 uses the same 135kW 1.5-litre petrol engine as the Shark and a 31.8kWh battery, but more powerful electric motors involve, so power is 400kW against the BYD’s 321kW and torque is 760Nm, a 110Nm increase.

The B8 achieves the same electric architecture, but the engine in marriage is a 2.0-litre. Torque is as per the B5, but the combined power output is cited at 425kW. Denza cites 0-100kmh in 4.8 seconds.

Equipment highlights across the B5 line-up are expected to include a 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen, a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, Nappa leather upholstery and a suite of advanced safety features including a 360-degree camera and 11 airbags.

The B5 Leopard adds 'DiSus-P' hydraulic adaptive suspension, front and rear differential locks and a 3000kg braked towing capacity.

B8's equipment includes soft-close doors, Nappa leather, heated, ventilated and massaging seats, a cooler/hotbox, 15.6-inch rotating touchscreen, a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel an an 18-speaker Devialet audio system. The six-seater sports a pair of captain's chairs in the middle row and twin locking diffs.

Ellis (below) has had a long history in automotive communications, being a former head of PR for Saab and Porsche in Australia, retail marketing and PR at Zagame Automotive, and, most recently, as group account director at a specialist PR agency, driving product and corporate communications for Lexus Australia.