CHINA electric vehicle (EV) giant BYD launched its luxury marque, Denza, in Singapore on Thursday (Oct 10), ahead of a planned expansion into major Asia-Pacific markets.
Liu Xueliang, general manager of Asia-Pacific sales for BYD Auto, told The Business Times at the launch event at the Shangri-la hotel that Denza would be introduced in Thailand later this year, followed by Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand in 2025. No specific dates have been set for those launches.
This is the brand’s first foray into the right-hand drive automotive market outside Hong Kong, where it debuted in July.
Entering the right-hand drive market is a key move, as it marks a foray into the region’s major automotive markets of Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.
Liu added that BYD has set up an assembly plant in Thailand, and more facilities are being planned in Indonesia and other regional markets, showing how serious the company is about its intentions for the region.
“For each market, we will bring new technology and new models based on local demands; we eventually want to offer a wide range of models to consumers covering ‘360 degrees’ of the market,” he said, speaking through a translator.
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Liu also said that BYD is “seriously considering” bringing its other luxury brands, including Fangchengbao and Yangwang, to Singapore and the region.
In Singapore, BYD will self-distribute Denza. It has appointed Vantage Automotive and Harmony Auto as dealers. Both are existing BYD dealers, and have established stand-alone showrooms for Denza.
Vantage Automotive’s showroom at 305 Alexandra Road opened on Thursday; Harmony Auto’s showroom at 7 Ubi Close opens on Oct 21.
The brand’s first model is the D9 large multi-purpose vehicle. It is available as the D9 Elite for S$296,888, and the D9 Grandeur for S$341,888. Both prices include a Certificate of Entitlement.
BYD Singapore is offering Denza models with a battery warranty of 10 years or 200,000 kilometres (km), compared to the industry standard of eight years and 160,000km.
A BYD representative said that 300 orders have been placed for the D9, split evenly between the two dealers.
Denza also plans to launch a second model, the Z9 GT sedan, in Singapore in the middle of next year.
Chinese luxury marques have begun their expansion into Asia-Pacific in the wake of Chinese mainstream brands. Earlier this year, Geely-owned Zeekr staged its Singapore launch ahead of a planned entrance into five regional markets in 2025.
