Deliveries of the first Denza N8 vehicles have begun in 12 cities. Production of the Denza N7 has also been accelerated, with deliveries already exceeding 1,000 units this month.

(Image credit: Denza)

BYD's premium new energy vehicle (NEV) brand Denza has started deliveries of the Denza N8, the new SUV that went on sale earlier this month.

Deliveries of the first Denza N8 vehicles have begun in 12 cities, the brand said yesterday, adding that deliveries of the model in more cities will begin soon.

Denza launched the Denza N8 on August 5 and is currently available in just two variants, both powered by BYD's DM-p hybrid system.

BYD models are available in both pure electric and plug-in hybrid forms, the latter including a DM-i version as well as a DM-p version, with the former focusing on fuel economy and the latter more on performance.

The two versions of the Denza N8 are the seven-seat and six-seat versions, with starting prices of RMB 319,800 ($43,860) and RMB 326,800, respectively.

The pricing has some overlap with the Denza N7 SUV launched on July 3, which is currently offered in six variants with starting prices of RMB 301,800, RMB 319,800, RMB 321,800, RMB 339,800, RMB 349,800 and RMB 379,800 respectively.

Denza is a joint venture formed by BYD and Daimler in February 2011, with each holding a 50 percent stake at the time. In February 2022, the Daimler brand was rebranded as Mercedes-Benz.

BYD's stake in Denza increased to 90 percent in the last year, and Mercedes-Benz's stake decreased to 10 percent.

The first model under the new Denza brand is the D9, an MPV that went on sale in August 2022 and began deliveries last October. Denza's second model, the N7, was launched on July 3 and deliveries began on July 31.

Denza sold 11,146 vehicles in July, essentially unchanged from 11,058 in June, according to figures released by BYD earlier this month.

Production of the Denza N7 has accelerated, with deliveries already exceeding 1,000 units this month, the brand's head, Zhao Changjiang, said yesterday.

($1 = RMB 7.2915)

BYD's Denza brand launches new SUV N8 with starting price of about $44,600