BYD bypasses EVDirect for Denza launch in Oz

In a shock move that could shake up the local EV landscape, Chinese automotive heavyweight BYD is bypassing its Australian distributor, EVDirect, to bring its luxury Denza brand directly to Aussie shores.

The decision marks a significant shift in BYD’s strategy as it cuts out the middleman and opts for full factory backing to launch its premium sub-brand Down Under.

It was widely expected EVDirect would import BYD’s forthcoming brands in Australia, but the brand’s confirmation that Denza will be brought in-house casts doubt on EVDirect’s continued involvement with the emerging industry superpower.

The move puts pressure on EVDirect, which has been the face of BYD’s rapid rise in Australia, and the power play from BYD raises big questions about the future of the partnership.

When carsales asked EVDirect CEO David Smitherman why BYD was keeping its second brand in-house, he said: “Really that’s not my brief, I’m a BYD guy.”

As Lexus is to Toyota, Denza is to BYD and the first models expected to arrive here are Denza B5 off-road SUV and the Porsche Taycan-rivalling Denza Z9 GT.

Both models are expected to arrive on Aussie soil in the second half of 2025, with the N7 mid-sized and N8 large SUVs tipped to follow in 2026.

Smitherman sidestepped questions on how much longer and/or if EVDirect’s involvement with BYD would last, instead spruiking how much growth was on the horizon.

“I’m a car sales guy. So we’re here selling cars. We had a really good event with [BYD regional boss] Mr. Liu there for the new year and we're pushing ahead making plans. We’re launching cars,” he said.

“We’re about to double our dealer network in the next six to 12 months, from 45 to 90. At this point, our business is full steam ahead. There’s plenty going on.”

What the Denza divergence strategy means for EVDirect is therefore unclear for now, but one potential outcome is a completely different dealer network being established.

“We’re just pushing ahead. Our business is selling cars and that’s what we do,” Smitherman said.

“Yes, we have contracts [with BYD] but the best thing I can do is keep selling cars and launching vehicles and that’s heading in the right direction. We’re in a really great place.”

The BYD Shark 6 hybrid ute is selling up a storm in Australia, as are the Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid SUV, Tesla Model 3-rivalling Seal 6 EV and the BYD Atto 3.

New cut-price ‘Essential’ variants of these key models are gaining traction, as is the just-launched Sealion 7 EV.

“The team’s terrific. We’ve got momentum. And I guess what we’re looking at as a brand for this quarter and next is to really crank it up to the next level, because we're just starting,” Smitherman said.

The CEO wouldn’t comment directly on the Denza deal and insisted the relationship with BYD was healthy.

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