BYD News

Denza, a luxury subsidiary of Chinese EV giant BYD, has revealed details of its first flagship plug-in hybrid luxury SUV, the N9.Built for the global market, the Denza N9 will debut in China in 2025 before being sent to Europe and potentially Australia.It is designed to be a cut-price competitor to the long-wheelbase Range Rover PHEV P460e HSE and the GMC Yukon Denali as a luxury three-row SUV.It is 206mm longer than the Range Rover, coming in at 5258mm long, though it's still 80mm shorter than the Yukon Denali, which measures up at 5338mm.It is 2030mm wide, 1830mm tall, and has a wheelbase of 3125mm. The latter is 54mm longer than the Yukon Denali's.Power is sourced from three electric motors that generate a staggering 680kW. They are paired to a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine that generates a further 152kW.There is a 47kWh battery pack that delivers up to 165km of CLTC-certified electric range, according to CarNewsChina.It’s also poised for a fully-electric three-motor variant, though there are no further details at this stage.Inside, the N9 carries a three-row 2:2:2 seating configuration, with two independent captain’s chairs in the second row.These seats can fully recline, while there is a 17.1-inch ceiling mounted screen in the second row for entertainment, as well as seat-mounted tray tables and personal fold out mirrors.Up front, there is a three-monitor setup, with a large 17.3-inch central touchscreen, a 13.2-inch LCD digital driver’s display and a 13.2-inch passenger’s display.In the floating centre console, there is a 11.5-litre heating and cooling box, which reportedly works from six to 50 degrees. Additionally, there are two wireless charging pads, a block of physical buttons –presumably for climate controls – and a hidden under-carriage storage area.The Denza N9 will enter the Chinese market next year at a starting price of 500,000 yuan ($106,105), according to CarNewsChina.It is also poised to launch in Europe shortly after following leaked spy shots of a prototype model testing in London last month.Australia could potentially be in the brand’s sights for later in 2025, with a BYD spokesperson telling CarsGuide earlier this year that nothing was off the cards for the brand.“BYD is committed to extending its new energy range in Australia, offering its customers more choice across all key segments,” the spokesperson said.“While there is no definitive timeline for the Denza Z9 or Z9 GT in Australia, BYD will continue to explore bringing more vehicles to disrupt the Australian automotive industry.”If it does arrive in Australia, it will no doubt undercut key rivals such as the GMC Yukon Denali and the Range Rover PHEV P460e HSE in price, which start at $169,990 and $270,888, respectively, before on-road costs.Denza was founded in 2011 as a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and BYD before the Chinese EV giant assumed full control over the brand in September this year.

BYD will introduce the next-generation of its blade batteries in 2025, according to a brand executive.Speaking to Chinese state media at the COP 29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, Cao Shuang, Managing Director of BYD’s Central Asian and European sales division, said the new range of batteries would deliver better driving range performance.“I think in the coming years, 2025, BYD will introduce the new generation of our remarkable blade battery,” he said.“This will enhance the driving distance of our vehicles, and also extend the life cycle of the battery itself.”Cao said BYD is looking at how batteries can be used for different applications, such as energy storage, once they’re no longer fit for purpose on an electric vehicle.Details on the new line of batteries remains scarce, but it is likely that BYD’s new generation of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries will boast greater energy density, meaning the brand will be able to deliver more range through a smaller sized battery.BYD CEO and Founder Wang Chaunfu previously teased the new line of Blade batteries in April, with the brand claiming the new batteries would deliver 1000km of range, albeit on the more lenient CLTC test cycle.Reports at the time suggested battery capacity could be 30 per cent greater than current Blade batteries.If true, that would see the range of BYD’s longest-range model in Australia, the BYD Seal Premium, grow from 570km on the WLTP test cycle to circa 740km.Like the rest of BYD’s models sold in Australia, the Seal uses Blade technology, which was first introduced in 2020 under its battery manufacturing subsidiary FinDreams.BYD claims Blade batteries are distinct from other batteries used in rival EVs as they use lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) as the cathode material, which it argues offers increased levels of durability and safety over conventional nickel manganese cobalt batteries.The Blade moniker comes from the shape of the battery cells, which are longer, skinnier and arranged in rows, unlike conventional square-block batteries.Despite its huge sales success, BYD have been relatively quiet on the battery front this year, particularly when compared to Chinese battery-manufacturing rival CATL, which has released a suite of new battery technologies for 2024.That includes the Shenxing Plus EV battery and Freevoy plug-in hybrid battery, batteries which offer claimed ranges of 1000km and 400km, respectively.Tesla, meanwhile, has four new batteries in development, purportedly for its Cybertruck, its incoming Robotaxi and other new models scheduled to arrive by 2026.

Toyota has unveiled its latest electric car concept.

BYD is looking to drive sales at the end of the year, slashing prices by $3000 on all of its passenger car models for a limited time. Additionally, the Chinese carmaker is offering a $1000 home charger installation voucher in the bundle. This deal applies to the end of November across all BYD models currently on sale, including the Dolphin hatch, Atto 3 small SUV, Seal sedan and Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid medium SUV. It is the latest move in BYD asserting dominance in the Australian new-car market, with loft ambitions first to take a top-five place among manufacturers followed by a challenge on giant Toyota that currently has a lock on first place. The brand plans to sell 25,000 cars this year, double 2023’s sales figures. By the end of October, BYD had registered 16,913 new cars in Australia, with 1732 done last month.It will need to really lift its game to hit the 25,000 target, more than doubling its October sales figures for the last two months of the year to over 4000 in a typically quiet time for new-car sales.BYD was not able to quantify how successful the promotion yas been yet but a spokesperson told CarsGuide "sales are in the thousands to date across the festival BYD campaign."The $3000 discounts bring the Dolphin electric hatch (340km-427km WLTP range) down as low as $33,890 before on-road costs, in Dynamic guise. Close but not enough to undercut the MG4 Excite 51kWh that is still on offer for $32,990 drive-away.The popular Atto 3 Standard drops to a competitive $41,499, while the Seal Dynamic sedan — that already undercut Tesla’s base Model 3 — is a quite ridiculous $46,888, before on-road costs. Finally, the plug-in hybrid Sealion 6 Dynamic drops its price below an equivalently-equipped Toyota RAV4 hybrid at $45,990, before on-road costs. Discounts have been instrumental in driving electric car sales in Australia with brands such as Tesla and MG finding bursts of serious success by slashing prices. Not everyone is on board, though, with critics noting the effects on resale value and price stability. 

Just two months after celebrating production of its nine millionth vehicle (and 15 months after celebrating its five millionth) BYD has gone and shocked the automotive world again – and broke its own record in the process.

BYD is set to fortify the Shark 6 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) ute offering with additional variants, including an EV and possibly an entry-level hybrid version, as the Chinese brand takes on the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger in Australia.

The defining story of Australia’s new-car market in 2024 has been the unbridled flow of electric-only car brands that have either set up shop in Australia or announced plans to do so, with the vast majority hailing from China.

BYD's next move could be to shake up the people mover market with what could be the first PHEV to hit our shores.

Is BYD going to go match other Chinese brands with significant discounts on electric vehicles (EVs)? Or will it release an even cheaper city car based on the Seagull hatch?

Following the reveal of the BYD Shark 6’s $57,900 (before on-road costs) starting price, BYD Importer EVDirect was quick to beat its chest.