Denza is a Chinese car brand owned by BYD. Denza was founded in 2010 as a joint venture between BYD and Daimler AG. The first Denza was the Denza EV, launched in 2014, a hatchback based on the Mercedes-Benz B-Class with a BYD electric powertrain. The joint venture did not launch other models until 2020 when the X arrived. In 2021, the German side reduced its share to 90% and in 2024 to zero. After BYD took over, Denza quickly became a success, launching one new car after the other, released from its German shackles!
The Denza X was thus the second and the final car of Denza as a joint venture, launched in 2019. But it wasn’t really a Chinese-German car. It was a BYD Tang with a new nose, rear, and fancy badges.
Check this one! “Styled by Mercedes-Benz”. According to Denza PR, Mercedes designed the X in Germany. But nobody believed that.
The branding on the back was a little strange, with a giant shiny X under the Denza name.
Interior
The interior was the same as in the Tang, but more luxurious, clad in leather and aluminum trim. It had a 12.3-inch driver’s display and a 15.6-inch touchscreen. The steering wheel was relatively small, with a super thick rim.
The X was a seven-seat car with a 2/3/2 seating setup. It was a large vehicle: 4890/1950/1725, 2820.
Specifications
Like the BYD Tang, the Denza X was available with PHEV (X PHEV) and EV (X BEV) powertrains. Denza offered FWD and AWD variants of the X BEV. The trim levels of the FWD were Starting and Classic. The trim levels of the AWD were Sports and Ultimate. The car that I saw is a Denza X BEV Classic.
The electric motor had an output of 180 kW (245 hp) and 330 Nm. The top speed was 160 km/h and 0-100 took 8.5 seconds. It had a ternary lithium battery pack. Later on, BYD changed to a LFP-only policy. The capacity was 82.8 kWh. That was a lot for 2019. Power consumption was 17.3kwh/100 km and range was 520 kilometers. Fast charging took 30 minutes. It cost 325.800 yuan, and that was not cheap.
Sadly, the Denza X didn’t sell well. Good tech, and interesting looks, but it was expensive and the Denza brand was not widely known. Production stopped in late 2021. That makes the X a very rare car.
Resurrection
However, as we have said many times, cars never really die in China. The Denza X came back in early 2023 as the Denza N8, fitted with a new front and rear. Pricing was much lower and by that time BYD had quickly expanded the Denza dealer network. For a while, it sold very well. But it was an old car, and in 2024 the X/N8 was canceled once more, and this time for good (probably).