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The baddest BYD yet! Potent Denza B5 gets right-hand drive locked in as tough 4WD takes aim at the Toyota Prado, Lexus GX and Y63 Nissan Patrol - and it could be an absolute bargain

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Denza B5
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
22 Jan 2025
3 min read

Chinese brand BYD looks set to take on Australia's sizeable off-road market, with the Denza B5 set for right-hand-drive production, clearing the way for its expected Australian launch.

Known up to this point as the BYD Fang Cheng Bao 5 (or the Formula Leopard 5), the brand's Prado rival has undergone a rebrand ahead of its international launch, with the model to be known as the Denza B5 for its global rollout.

That rollout includes fellow right-hand-drive market, the UK, clearing the way for right-hand-drive production for Australia – a near-certainty given the name has been trademarked for our market, and the fact that a test car has been undergoing testing and evaluation here.

The B5 is powered by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with twin electric motors (one at each axle) delivering a potent 500kW and 760Nm.

And because the plug-in hybrid is fitted with a bigger (31.4kWh) battery than a typical hybrid, the brand is promising a 120km electric driving range, as well as a total driving range in excess of 1000kms when the fuel tank and battery are combined.

The off-road stuff is covered by its ladder-frame chassis, three differential locks, 18-inch Goodrich tyres and the brand's Intelligent Hydraulic Body Control System, which can not only individually raise individual wheel heights by 200mm, but will also reportedly deliver a 200 per cent increase in stiffness when cornering.

The new name is something of an amalgamation of two of BYD's premium brands – Denza, which was formed as a joint venture with Mercedes-Benz (though the German brand is no longer involved) and Fang Cheng Bao, which is BYD's off-road SUV marque.

2025 BYD Fang Cheng Bao 5
2025 BYD Fang Cheng Bao 5

The two will reportedly be combined for international markets, with the Denza B5 the first to arrive. While timing is yet to be confirmed, we expect it to be this year, with BYD importer EVDirect confirming the "need to have larger 4WDs" in Australia.

"We want utes in the marketplace, and we need to have larger 4WDs (like the Bao 5)", says EVDirect's chief, David Smitherman

“We have a multitude of vehicles coming, and we're pushing really hard because we know that's the way we grow the business."

BYD trademarked the name 'DENZA B5' for the Australian market in the middle of last year, suggesting the name change has been bubbling away for some time.

The B5 is a plug-in hybrid, ladder-frame 4WD powered by the brand's Dual-Motor Intelligence technology. That makes it similar in platform and powertrain to the BYD Shark ute.

It could also be something of an off-road bargain, with Chinese prices starting at 300,000 yuan in China (around $A64,500) and topping out at 400,000 yuan (around $A85,000) for the top-spec models, according to international reports.

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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