BYD's PHEV Prado rival confirmed for UK debut, Australia likely next
Denza is the luxury arm of BYD and will launch in Australia later this year, with a third-quarter debut expected – and the B5 high on its list of desired models for Australian showrooms.
Related to the hugely popular BYD Shark 6 PHEV dual-cab ute, the five-seat B5 is the smaller of two body-on-frame PHEV SUVs from BYD's Fangchengbao brand, with the larger, three-row B8 also on the cards for Australia.
In Chinese-market guise it measures 4890mm long, 1970mm wide and 1920mm tall on a 2800mm wheelbase, making it 100mm shorter, 10mm narrower and 5mm lower than a Toyota Prado on a 50mm shorter wheelbase.
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BYD has told CarExpert all overseas models within the company's multiple sub-brands are under consideration for local showrooms.
The UK announcement also confirmed the Denza D9 PHEV people mover – already confirmed for Australia – will head to Goodwood.
Also heading to Goodwood is the Denza Z9 GT shooting brake in both EV and hybrid form, with the latter likely to come here.
While not officially confirmed for Australia, CarExpert drove the B5 last month in China, where it's sold under the Fangchengbao brand – a name that translates to 'formula leopard'.
Australia is expected to follow the same name-change to Denza for the B5 when it lands here, with official confirmation expected in the lead-up to the brand's official kick-off Down Under.
The B5 has also been spotted testing in Australian roads, too, with BYD Australia confirming local models will benefit from suspension and chassis tuning on our roads.
The UK announcement didn't include model grades, powertrain or pricing details, but these may become known at the Goodwood Festival of Speed held in West Sussex, England, from July 10-13.
The B5 tested by CarExpert in China used a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine teamed with front and rear electric motors and all-wheel drive, with combined 505kW/760Nm outputs and a 2890kg kerb weight.
A 31.8kWH BYD 'Blade' lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) batter provides up to 100km (WLTC) of electric-only driving as part of a total 1200km (NEDC) range.
Riding on 18-inch alloys, the Chinese-spec B5 has 220mm of ground clearance, a 700mm water wading figure, a 35-degree approach angle, and a 32-degree departure angle.
In China the B5 is priced between 239,800 and 302,800 yuan, depending on model grade, which is approximately $51,150 to $64,796.
Expect the B5 to be more expensive than that in Australia, however, owing to the Denza brand's premium positioning.
The SUV won't have much in the way of direct competition. Other PHEVs like the Kia Sorento, Mazda CX-60 and Mitsubishi Outlander are less rugged, unibody crossover SUVs.
Land Rover offers a PHEV version of its Defender, which for model year 2026 (MY26) starts at $131,100 before on-road costs. It's unclear how much the B5 will undercut it by.
In late 2024 BYD Australia announced it would launch Denza here, sidestepping local distributor EVDirect, which had imported all BYD vehicles since the brand's 2022 launch.
On July 1, BYD head office took over distribution of BYD vehicles in Australia, having become the first Chinese automaker to make the top-five best-selling brands in this country for the month of June.
Denza was founded in 2010 as a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and BYD, but is now wholly owned by the latter.
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