BYD to launch Denza brand in the Philippines

BYD PH looking to offer upscale Denza brand

China's major automakers like to play a game of brands. Each manufacturer, such as Geely, SAIC, Dongfeng, and others, has multiple brands under its group, a practice that isn't too dissimilar from that of the other big legacy manufacturers, like Toyota, Nissan, and BMW.

The difference, however, is that China's automakers each have many different brands depending on the vehicle type (passenger, commercial), class (mass market, premium, luxury), and even electrification.

BYD is one such auto manufacturer. Yes, many of us see BYD as a very recognizable marque just as we can easily recognize Tesla, but under BYD's wing are many other auto brands that they market under different names.

BYD owns Fangchengbao, a brand that markets its premium models. It also has its luxury brand Yangwang, a marque known for the U8. This SUV combines its advanced electric drive technology with some neat off-road tricks. And for some reason, they can make it float. If you find that dubious, try searching for videos on it online. There are plenty.

But we can say now that BYD is looking to expand the reach of its brands outside of China, so expect to see Fangchengbao and Yangwang abroad. When it comes to Denza, however, it seems we will see those on local roads, as we just got confirmation from Liu Xueliang (BYD's Asia Pacific Sales head) that they will offer the Denza brand in the Philippines.

Fangchengbao SUV and car models tend to be on the sportier and younger spectrum, while Yangwang is the brand that offers the flagship vehicles. Denza is in the middle, offering premium BEVs and PHEVs in larger form factors.

There's the Denza Z9 which can either be a large saloon or fastback that has some pretty impressive performance. There's also the Denza N7 which is a midsize SUV. The one that a lot of customers will be looking towards will be the Denza D9; it's a minivan that would be very comparable to an Alphard, but comes as either BEV or PHEV... well, DM-i in BYD speak.

What we know is that BYD plans to launch Denza in the Philippines in 2025; around Q4 to be more precise. What we cannot be sure about, however, is who will be handling the brand. AC Mobility is already their partner for the BYD brand here, but Chinese brands tend to treat each brand as independent of each other when it comes to offering them in foreign markets. Such is the case for Geely Auto with the Geely brand (formerly Sojitz, now with a subsidiary), Lynk & Co (UAAGI), and Zeekr (Autohub), as well as for Chery with Omoda & Jaecoo (subsidiary) and the Chery brand (UAAGI).

So will Denza be with AC Mobility or with another distributor? Or perhaps, would BYD itself be handling it? The answer will probably come in 12 months' time.