Initially launching with the B5 and B8 off-road SUVs from next month, Denza Australia's showroom line-up is expected to bulk out with another three new models soon.
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Denza’s Australian line-up is set to more than double over the next year, with up to three new models to join the B5 and B8 off-road SUVs following their local showroom debut next month.
Speaking to Drive, Denza Australia and New Zealand boss Mark Harland would not be drawn on exactly which models would arrive, but hinted that the Yangwang U8 is on the radar as the brand’s ultimate off-roader.
“There’s a lot of room [for model expansion],” Harland said.
“We haven’t announced any other vehicles for Australia, which we will probably announce in February – we’ll do an event after the holidays.
“But there will be at least two, if not three, more vehicles coming within the next 12 months covering different segments – I would say at least two of those three are completely different.”
With the B5 and B8 playing in the large and upper-large off-road SUV segments respectively, the bigger-still Yangwang U8 would make sense as a flagship, ultra-premium model.
While a few U8 examples were brought into Australia for demonstration and marketing purposes, camouflaged versions of the SUV have also been spotted tow-testing in Australia as recently as this year.
In overseas markets, the U8 features a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine and four electric motors for a combined output of 880kW, and is famous for featuring a ‘sail on water’ mode where it can traverse deep bodies of water for a limited time.
Outside the U8, Harland also indicated a sports car – either the Yangwang U9 or a production version of the Z concept shown at this year’s Shanghai Motor Show – could work as Denza’s halo model.
“I’m trying to get a sports car – it’s not on the roadmap yet, but every keeps asking,” Harland said.
“I love sports cars, not because it’s going to drastically change my sales volume, but BYD has now produced with the U9 the fastest production car in the world doing 496.22km/h – which is just insane.
“We also showed the Denza Z at the Shanghai Auto Show, so there’s a couple of sports cars that are on the table.
“Neither is right-hand drive yet, but basically … my job is to build the business, build the dealer network, build a great customer experience.
“If we do that, the doors open up to the candy shop, so more products are going to be made available to us, and then it’s just a matter of when.
“I also think it would be arrogant if we said on day one ‘here’s a $200,000 sports car’ without having done anything to build the brand and build that customer experience with a few thousand customers.”
Also on the table from Denza’s international product portfolio is the Z9 and Z9 GT – a low-slung sedan and wagon respectively, offered in all-electric and plug-in hybrid forms.
There is also the N7 large and N9 upper-large SUVs, and the D9 people mover – all focused on inner-city commuting comfort rather than off-road ability like the B5 and B8.
Harland confirmed Denza Australia “will have EVs in the future” and the brand will incorporate a “mix of powertrains”, likely cherry-picking across the three BYD sub-brands – Fangchengbao, Denza, and Yangwang.
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Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
