Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
At the pre-sale launch event of the Denza Z9 GT, BYD‘s Chairman Wang Chuanfu defended that Denza —the subbrand created together with Daimler nearly 15 years ago — it was the very first new energy vehicle (NEV) force in the country.
Both Nio and XPeng, which produce only fully electrive vehicles, are celebrating ten years this year. A year later, Xiang Li, who served as a director of Nio from May 2015 to September 2018, founded the NEV manufacturer Li Auto. However, the company only started mass production in 2019.
“When people talk about new forces in the automotive industry, many think first of Nio, XPeng, and Li Auto, but in fact, Denza was China’s first to create a new force,” BYD Chairman stated during his keynote.
Wang Chuanfu clarified later that BYD formed a joint venture with Daimler in 2010 to launch the brand Denza.
“In March 2010, Daimler (Mercedes Benz Group) and BYD signed a memorandum of understanding, and in July of that year, the two parties each held a 50% stake in the joint venture, establishing Denza Auto. This also marked the creation of China’s first new energy luxury brand and the first technical joint venture company in China,” the founder added.
Denza presented its first NEV concept model at the Beijing Auto Show in April 2012.
The chief executive proceeded detailing the joint venture that allowed BYD to use Mercedes-Benz’s “excellent vehicle development capabilities”.
“This is how China’s first joint venture automaker, which achieved equal say in technology, was officially born. In traditional Sino-foreign joint ventures, the Chinese side usually handles manufacturing, while the foreign side provides technology and components,” the executive stated.
“However, Denza integrated BYD’s complete electric powertrain technology with Mercedes-Benz’s excellent vehicle development capabilities. This technical cooperation model can be said to have truly realized equal technological exchange,” Wang Chuanfu added.
Chuanfu stated that Denza “stands on the shoulders of giants” adding the brand “started early” and “strong”.
“After two years of refinement, we officially launched the Denza brand with Mercedes-Benz, merging Mercedes-Benz’s traditional luxury with BYD’s leading technology to create a unique luxury experience. Therefore, as the product and brand born from the collaboration between BYD and Mercedes-Benz, Denza stands on the shoulders of giants. It started early and started strong,” BYD CEO concluded.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
