BYD is preparing to launch its own prestige brand in Australia, with the right-hand drive Denza B8 arriving to tackle off-roaders like the LandCruiser and Patrol.
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With BYD’s shift from a third-party importer to a fully factory-backed distribution model in Australia, the brand is looking to broaden its product range.
The flagship model from BYD’s prestige brand, Denza, is the B8 SUV, a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) built on a body-on-frame chassis and sized like a Toyota LandCruiser.
The Denza B8, along with the smaller B5 PHEV could be the first models from the Denza brand locally, although the brand also offers full-size sedans, hatchbacks, and people-movers, plus more road-focused medium SUVs in other markets.
Sold overseas as the Fengchengbao Bao 8 and Leopard 8, the Denza B8 name will be adopted for export markets and used to streamline the branding for markets like Australia, where BYD will sell cars under the existing BYD brand and the new Denza brand.
Despite a full wrap aimed at hiding styling details, the B8 shared on the BYD Denza B5 & B8 Australia Facebook page appears to have a vertical-slat grille making it slightly different to the closed-off gloss black grille fitted in China on some Fengchengbao-badged models.
The B8 is based on a version of the ladder-frame chassis and ‘DMO Super Hybrid’ drivetrain used by the BYD Shark 6 ute, and is configured as a more capable off-roader in a similar style to body-on-frame SUVs like the Ford Everest, Isuzu MU-X, and Toyota LandCruiser.
Measuring 5195mm long and riding on a 2920mm wheelbase, the Denz B8 is around 200mm longer than a 300 Series LandCruiser, with a 70mm longer wheelbase.
In China, the plug-in hybrid powertrain is rated at 550kW/760Nm combined, with a 200kW front motor, 300kW rear motor, and 200kW 2.0-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder engine.
Those outputs make the Denz B8 323kW and 70Nm more powerful than the 227kW 3.3-litre turbo diesel V6 LandCruiser, and even manage to outgun the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 Mercedes-AMG GLE63 by 100kW, though the Benz V8 claims 100Nm more torque.
Claimed 0-100km/h acceleration is listed at 4.8 seconds, ultimately slower than the 3.9-second GLE63 time, but tare weight is a massive 3330kg, around 795kg more than a LandCruiser GR Sport.
As a plug-in hybrid, the Chinese market B8 is equipped with a 31.8kWh battery and is rated to cover 100km of electric-only driving range according to WLTP testing, with a 1200km combined driving range.
Registration documentation tied to the Denza B8 pictured here reveals that it has entered the country specifically as an engineering evaluation vehicle and has been in Australia since August 2025.
In China, the Denza B8 is sold with three rows of seats in either a seven-seat 2+3+2 layout, or as a six-seater with middle row captain’s chairs for a 2+2+2 configuration.
Home market features for the B8 include height-adjustable air suspension offering up to 310mm of ground clearance, automatic front, rear and centre locking differentials, and ‘navigate on autopilot’ driver assist tech for advanced self-driving capabilities.
The right-hand drive B8 seen in Australia lacks the rooftop LiDAR array to allow advanced self-driving, although a highway-assist with adaptive cruise control and lane centring, as seen on other BYD vehicles, is likely to still be offered.
The Denza brand was initially expected to officially launch in Australia sometime in the third quarter of 2025 (July to September), but the still-camouflaged prototypes spied testing recently suggest that timing may be pushed back.
Expected to launch with the Ford Everest-sized Denza B5 and larger B8 as the first models from the brand, BYD management has also suggested the brand could expand beyond the initial model range.
With access to right-hand drive versions of the Z9 sedan and fastback slated for sale in the UK, Australia could potentially adopt these models as either electric or plug-in hybrid rivals to cars like the BMW 5 Series and Porsche Taycan.
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Kez Casey migrated from behind spare parts counters to writing about cars over ten years ago. Raised by a family of automotive workers, Kez grew up in workshops and panel shops before making the switch to reviews and road tests for The Motor Report, Drive and CarAdvice.
