Denza attracting Toyota Prado, LandCruiser owners, says exec

Denza is the latest Chinese auto brand to launch in Australia, and a top local executive from the company claims its debut off-road SUV duo is already luring people out of some of Australia’s most popular models.

Denza is owned by BYD and despite the existence of several sibling brands, it has been designated as BYD’s luxury marque for export markets. As such, it’s easiest to liken the Denza/BYD relationship to that of Lexus and Toyota.

Importantly, Denza has ambitions to become a top-five luxury auto brand locally.

At the launch of the large B5 and B8 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) body-on-frame SUVs, Denza Australia chief operating officer Mark Harland said early orders have included trade-ins of a broad range of vehicles from both mainstream and premium brands – including Toyota, Lexus, Audi, BMW, and Range Rover.

“In talking to the dealers over the past week in Melbourne and Sydney… the cars that are being traded in are Prados, LandCruisers of different generations, Audis – Q7 and Q8 – BMW X5, and some Range Rovers,” Mr Harland told CarExpert at the Australian launch of Denza.

“[That’s] lovely to hear for me; that’s music to my ears, because that is kind of the range. We’re priced very similarly to a Prado, which is a Toyota so not really luxury. [For similar money] you’d really be looking at Lexus from the luxury point of view – the LX or GX, and then Range Rovers.”

The B5's angular styling cues and boxy proportions are also reminiscent of the Toyota/Lexus siblings, though it's equipped with a vastly more powerful PHEV powertrain and, for the top-spec Leopard variant, advanced DiSus-P hydraulic suspension – in addition to requisite off-road gear like a four-wheel drive system and a locking rear differential.

The B8, meanwhile, is more of a rival for the larger LandCruiser 300 Series, though its flagship variant is cheaper than all versions of the Toyota. The same is true for the more luxurious Lexus LX.

Naturally, that also means Denza’s SUVs are cheaper than large on-road-focused SUVs from Audi and BMW, as well as similarly positioned Defender models and offerings from Range Rover.

“We’re feeling really good about the cars that customers are bringing in. We’re attracting those segments,” Mr Harland added. “Those are the people that we’re advertising to for B5 and B8 as well”.

Still, Denza has a mountain to climb if it’s to overcome the world's biggest automaker on the sales charts.