A Denza B8 has been spotted on a shopping run in the suburbs of Melbourne, suggesting the large off-roader is closer to being officially confirmed for Australian showrooms.
The black B8 – a seven-seat off-road rival to the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol – was spied in a shopping centre car park with its badges masked with black tape to hide its identity.
In China, the B8 is sold by BYD as a Bao 8 under its Fangchengbao brand, which translates to ‘formula leopard’.
However, an Australian version is expected to be sold as a Denza, BYD’s premium brand scheduled to launch locally in October.
Denza will be the next premium Chinese brand in Australia, following Geely’s Zeekr. There’s also IM Motors, another SAIC Motor brand like MG and LDV, which is sold through MG showrooms under the ‘IM Motors presented by MG Motor’ banner.
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BYD Australia, which took over local distribution on July 1, told CarExpert earlier this year “nothing is off the table” when considering what vehicles from BYD’s global product line it might offer here.
The spied B8 was right-hand drive, unlike the left-hand drive version CarExpert drove in China in May this year.
The all-wheel drive B8 uses a 550kW/760Nm plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain with a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder paired with electric motors on the front and rear axles and an electronic continuously variable transmission.
The combo gives the 3305kg B8 a claimed 984km WLTP range, including 100km under electric power, as well as a sports car-like 0-100km/h time of 4.8 seconds.
Adding to the B8’s already high chances of a local debut, the Denza brand was announced for the UK in July 2025, another right-hand drive market.
BYD vice president Stella Li told Autocar it will bring Fangchengbao models to the UK under the Denza brand, with the smaller B5 – a rival to the Ford Everest, Toyota LandCruiser Prado and GWM Tank 300 – confirmed for British showrooms.
Given BYD’s UK lineup largely aligns with ours, it’s likely the Chinese automaker will follow suit in Australia by selling Fangchengbaos as Denzas.
The B8 measures 5195mm long, 1884mm wide and 2002mm tall on a 2920mm wheelbase, while a LandCruiser 300 Series is 4965mm long on a 2850mm wheelbase.
The seven-seater also has BYD’s ‘DiSus-P’ air suspension, enabling adjustable ride height for up between 220mm and 310mm ground clearance, while it can also water wade up to 890mm.
Driving modes include Snow, Mud, Sand, Wading, Mountain, Burst and Sport+, while the interior of the vehicle we tested in China has swathes of leather on the doors, dash, seats and steering wheel, and a massive 17.3-inch centre touchscreen.
It also featured BYD’s ‘God’s Eye’ suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), which uses cameras, radars, LiDAR and ultrasonic sensors for features such as adaptive cruise control and BYD’s Navigate on Autopilot function.
In addition to the B8 and B5, Denza is also tipped to bring its Porsche Taycan-aping Z9 GT – sold in China in electric and hybrid guises – as well as its D9 electric people mover and seven-seat N9 electric passenger SUV.
In June 2025, BYD became the first Chinese automaker to post a top five sales result in Australia, while its Sealion 7 SUV outsold the Tesla Model Y in July to become Australia’s most popular EV for the second time this year.
Thanks to reader Anthony for the tip!
MORE: Explore the BYD showroom