A Denza executive said the SUV is aimed at capturing the market for conventional internal combustion engine cars priced around 400,000 yuan ($57,360).
A new SUV from Denza, a premium new energy vehicle (NEV) brand controlled by BYD (OTCMKTS: BYDDY), may not be too far from launch.
Zhao Changjiang, general manager of Denza's sales division, shared six spy photos of the SUV on Weibo on December 20, showing what the model could look like.
Zhao hinted that the production version of the model would be highly similar to Denza's concept INCEPTION unveiled at the Chengdu auto show in August.
He said that three of the six spy shots were taken by photographers and the other three by passersby.
In the comments section of the Weibo post, Zhao said the SUV is aimed at capturing the market for conventional internal combustion engine cars priced at around 400,000 yuan ($57,360).
He did not mention a launch date for the model, though local auto media outlet Yiche reported yesterday that it is expected to be released in the first half of 2023.
Denza was established as a joint venture between BYD and Daimler in February 2011, when they each held a 50 percent stake in the company, the first Sino-foreign joint venture in China and focused on NEVs.
On January 24 this year, BYD said it signed an equity transfer agreement with Daimler for Denza, which will increase BYD's stake in the company to 90 percent and reduce Daimler's stake to 10 percent. In February 2022, the Daimler brand was rebranded as Mercedes-Benz.
Denza's official website previously sold the Denza X plug-in hybrid and all-electric versions, but the site is no longer showing the model.
In April, Zhao said Denza will launch three models this year: an MPV, a midsize SUV and a midsize SUV, but only the MPV was launched, while the SUVs have only been unveiled as a concept.
Denza's only model currently on sale, the D9 MPV, went on sale on August 23 and deliveries began on October 26.
On August 26, Denza unveiled a concept vehicle, INCEPTION, at the Chengdu auto show, saying that the model incorporates technology into the design aesthetic.
(Denza INCEPTION concept car)
