- First Kiwi Denza showroom in Epsom, Auckland.
- B5 and B8 SUVs first local models, but more to follow.
- Aim is to be the 'benchmark' for customer experience, says Denza NZ.
It was full plug-in pomp-and-ceremony at the first official Denza dealership for New Zealand last week, as it opened its doors to owners, potential customers and selected media for a special event.
In fact, the dealership was quietly launched in December, but this was a chance for BYD’s luxury brand to break out the Bollinger and make things official, showcasing its first two products: the B5 and B8 SUVs.
The new dealership at 48 Great South Road is part of the Andrew Simms group, located in the heart of all the posh car and SUV stuff in Epsom/Newmarket.
“We’re right in the heart of the premium automotive precinct in Auckland,” says group dealer principal Matthew Wales. “You can see some of our competitors out the window, and having had some time in this product myself, I can tell you they should be worried.”
Denza is intended to be a very different proposition to BYD. It’s even under different distributorship in NZ; while BYD is handled by an independent company, Ateco Automotive, Denza comes here via head office in Australia. Not that it makes a whole lot of difference to Simms: it retails both brands.
The new Denza showroom is standalone. On hand for launch night was chief operating officer for Denza Australia and NZ, Mark Harland. He says the brand has some big ambitions for NZ, well beyond the strengths of the cars themselves: “We need to deliver on customer experience; I want to be the benchmark. I know that sounds almost arrogant, but that’s where we’re putting the bar.
“It’s the delivery experience, it’s the service experience, it’s the loaners, it’s the return phone calls and emails. It’s all of that… plus what I call the House of Denza experience.
“Once you buy a Denza, you join a club. We’ll make physical locations available, for a board meeting or a kid’s birthday party, a cycling club, coffee. You’re welcome to host here. This is your House of Denza.
“Most importantly, we’ll deliver on exclusive experiences: take you off-roading, take you golfing. Or we could take you to the factory where they’re building your car, take you to the test track. We’ll make you part of that entire experience.
“There are local things that we can do, but we also want to offer these money-can’t-buy experiences.”
Announced on the night was a “Golden Ticket” prize as part of the brand launch. Those who ordered a car before February 9 and can take delivery before the 27th have gone into the draw for a Denza China Experience, with Business Class flights for two, five nights accommodation and a full “BYD/Denza brand immersion”, including hosted dining and cultural activities.
The Denza launch models comprise the B5 and B5 Leopard five-seaters ($88,990-$96,990), and larger B8 seven and six-seaters ($109,990-$117,990). They both share plug-in hybrid technology with the DRIVEN Car Guide Car of the Year-winning BYD Shark, albeit with a lot more luxury and even more power: combined outputs are 400kW/760Nm.
“You get the luxury, you get the tech, you get that day-to-day [plug-in hybrid] sustainability,” says Harland. “But you also get off-road performance and capability without any range anxiety. That’s why these vehicles are perfect for the NZ market.”
Harland says the Kiwi lineup is set to expand quickly: “We’ll probably have five products by the end of this year. That’s the speed at which we work.”