Building a coherent range for BYD’s Denza brand requires the arrival of new models, but also the upgrading of the existing range. The new Denza N8 is therefore ultimately a simple evolution of the Denza X, itself derived from the BYD Tang.
In an attempt to save its joint venture with BYD, Mercedes accepts that the second model launched in 2019, the Denza X SUV, actually carries very few German genes. Concretely, only the interior and exterior design was supervised by Stuttgart. The rest comes from BYD and it is obvious that it is neither more nor less than a revamped Tang. Customers are not mistaken and prefer the original and the copy and the Denza X does not sell… Finally, the year 2021 ends with the takeover of Denza by BYD, while Mercedes becomes simple observer by keeping only 10% of the capital.
Called to become the second stage of BYD’s move upmarket, Denza promises the launch of 5 product lines: D, E, N, Z, A. We know that minivans will bear the letter D, with the D9. The SUVs will be the N. The other letters will be carried by other types of vehicles including sedans and coupe(s).
In the SUV clan, BYD communicated on the arrival of a new duo, the N7 and N8. The N7 is a real new vehicle. On the other hand, the N8 is not so new. If it sports the new light signature, the relationship with the Denza X remains clearly visible. From X to become N8, the 7-seater SUV receives new front and rear bumpers, and changes the design of its quarter panel. It is now taken from the electric Tang, but the “shark” fin in the lower part is here lined with a chrome stock in the upper part. The interior still remains hidden until the Shanghai show. Above all, these changes allow BYD to remove the small “Styled by Mercedes-Benz” badge that was affixed to the Denza X…
Now N8, this large SUV will continue to be offered with DM-i or electric plug-in hybrid engines, similar to those of the BYD Tang, but probably only retaining the 360 kW 4-wheel drive offer.
With a BYD Tang already on offer in Europe, the N8 is unlikely to be part of the journey when the Denza brand arrives on our continent.
Read also
BYD Tang EV: a new battery and seven seats for the Chinese SUV
