Denza and BYD families segregated

BYD’s popular line-up of models will be distanced from its new luxury sub-brand Denza to more clearly define the position and purpose of each vehicle, with no current models planned to be offered in high-spec Denza trim and vice versa.

Unlike the Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 which is almost mechanically identical to the Genesis GV60, the Denza family will comprise variants unique to the new premium sub-brand.

With the confirmation that each line-up will stay in its own lane, the popular BYD Shark 6 will not be offered as a better-appointed or off-road-capable Denza model and, likewise, the new B5 and B8 all-terrain SUVs won’t be arriving in more affordable BYD guise.

This, according to BYD and Denza Australia chief operating officer Mark Harland, will mitigate confusion over what each brand represents and more clearly position the respective marques.

“We’re just keeping them separate,” he said.

“We want to keep the portfolios separate so if you wanted a seven passenger, now you’ve got a Sealion 8 which is not the same category as this (B5 and B8).

“It’s a different kind of large SUV. So if you want a Denza, there is a step up. It’s not a massive step up, but it is a step up.”

Harland laid out the differences between the current BYD models and the freshly arrived Denzas, noting the latter will always be the more luxurious offering and represent the pinnacle of all-terrain ability in the family.

“They will be distinct,” he said. “They will have very unique capabilities and so you won’t have an SUV from Denza and an SUV from BYD that’s priced at the same level, or one has a bit of a premium because of a badge and they do exactly the same thing. That won’t happen.”

While there won’t be directly comparable models in each family, Harland did explain that there may be platform-sharing models to be found on each side of the fence, but they would be clearly differentiated by their purpose or luxury levels.

“You may see some SUVs in the future and they’re not necessarily overlapping, but one will be more of a city run about type of shuttle-the-kids-to-school-and-back car and then one would be a proper off roader. So we're not going to do this rebadging exercise.”

But while the company is working hard to build each brand as a standalone entity that offer their own respective advantages, Harland said it wasn’t trying to create the illusion that BYD and Denza are unrelated.

Instead, the attributes that have made BYD so popular in Australia can help promote the Denza line to a different audience.

“We’re not shying away from the link to BYD because of the success that BYD has had, because of the size and the scale and supply chain and the product – all that goodness, the technology and the battery,” he said.

“So we’re not shying away from that, but I’m not also shouting it from the rooftop.”

While the BYD connection is one the company is proud of, Harland said customers outlaying a bigger budget for a Denza need to be confident they are getting an altogether different vehicle that justifies a bigger budget.

“I think it’s a positive effect, but if people are buying an $80,000 to $100,000 car, we want them to know this is a unique standalone brand, it's a unique customer experience and we're not rebadging cars.”

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