Which is the strongest new energy brand in 2023? There is no doubt that it is BYD, which is a big devil with annual sales of more than 3 million vehicles. But can BYD do anything? This is not necessarily, at least the development of the DENZA brand is lower than the outside world expects.
Recently, Zhao Changjiang, general manager of DENZA Automobile Sales Division, released spy photos of DENZA's new flagship sedan on social media, which will be benchmarked against Porsche Paramela and is expected to be launched in 2024. So with this car, can DENZA change the current decline?
What kind of car is the new car?
Under the DENZA brand, there are currently three models, the mid-to-large SUV Denza D9, the mid-size SUV Denza N7 and the mid-size and large-sized SUV Denza N8, which lack sedans, so it is natural for the DENZA brand to launch a mid-to-large sedan in 2024, and it needs to continuously expand its product lineup.
At present, there is very little information about the Denza car, but from this spy photo released by Zhao Changjiang, a lot of things can still be seen. First of all, the new car will adopt a hunting style, with a longer body and a decent trunk space; Secondly, some detection devices can be seen on the roof of the car, which is expected to provide more powerful driver assistance functions.
However, DENZA is a mature brand that has been running for many years, so from the three cars currently on sale, we can roughly speculate some information about DENZA's first sedan.
First of all, the new car is aimed at models of the Porsche Paramela or Mercedes-Benz S-Class, so it is expected to exceed 5 meters in size and 3 meters in wheelbase, providing users with spacious riding space.
Secondly, the exterior design of the new car may incorporate some existing design elements of the DENZA family, especially the DENZA N7, which has reached a relatively high level in terms of appearance, although the sales are not good, but the design techniques are worth learning.
In terms of powertrain, the new car is expected to maintain the pure electric + plug-in hybrid route. Judging from the experience of models such as the Seal, Denza D9, and Denza N7, consumers prefer plug-in hybrid models without range anxiety, and the Denza N7 only has EV models, resulting in poor sales.
It is worth mentioning that BYD's e platform 3The 0 technology and super hybrid DM-i system have been in the market for many years, and the advantage over competitors has become smaller and smaller, so it is likely to be upgraded in the first half of 2024, and Denza's first sedan is also likely to be affected by this, showing greater advantages in chassis tuning and dynamic performance.
In view of DENZA's high-end positioning, the cruising range of DENZA sedan should be more than 700km, and the maximum power is expected to reach about 400kW, and the competition in the new energy market will be more fierce in 2024.
In the face of a niche market, can DENZA sedan work?
According to previous network news, Denza's first sedan is aimed at the Porsche Paramela, which is a flagship-level model, but from an objective point of view, it is unlikely that Denza will really build a sedan according to the standards of Paramela.
The reason is very simple, the positioning of Denza's models should be between 300,000 and 500,000 yuan, and the real benchmark for Paramela models should be Yangwang's U7 and other models. Therefore, the DENZA flagship sedan should only be relatively close to the Paramela in size, and the overall performance is unlikely to reach the level of the Paramela.
But judging from the spy photos released by Zhao Changjiang, Denza Sedan chose a niche model such as a hunting car. Hunting vehicles have always been popular in China, and there is no hunting vehicle that has entered the mainstream market, and DENZA chose this unpopular market, perhaps because of self-confidence, or because of the deviation of brand positioning.
From an objective point of view, DENZA is actually quite embarrassing in terms of positioning, it will not have the cost performance of the Dynasty and Ocean series, and at the same time, it is impossible to take the lead in carrying what kind of black technology of the Yangwang series, and the competitive advantage may be the materials, materials, etc., and the choice of hunting vehicles may be to attract users, but it remains to be seen how effective it is.
In 2024, will DENZA be able to "rescue"?
BYD's appeal is undoubted, but it can't really "dominate the rivers and lakes". In 2023, the cumulative sales of the DENZA brand will only be 127,840 units, the vast majority of which will be contributed by the DENZA D9. The remaining two cars, Denza N7 and Denza N8, the former has an average monthly sales of about 1,000 units, and the latter has an average monthly sales of less than 500 units.
In addition, even for the Denza D9, most of the sales are contributed by the DM-i model. This can prove that BYD's high-end pure electric models are not very appealing. If nothing else, it will be difficult for Denza Sedan to change this situation, unless BYD comes up with truly disruptive technology in 2024.
The market of 30-500,000 yuan is very important, and for BYD, the DENZA brand fills the gap between the BYD brand and the Yangwang brand, so it cannot be abandoned. DENZA sedan may use some high-end materials and materials, and may also incorporate some black technologies used by the Yangwang brand, and at the same time, it will also have a significant improvement in intelligence.
However, technology does not necessarily lead to sales, and the experience of DENZA N7 and N8 has proved that even with the blessing of BYD, consumers may not buy it. DENZA Sedan needs a multi-pronged approach to lead the DENZA brand out of decline.
Closing Remarks:The first sedan, DENZA will definitely come up with something different. In the second half of 2023, it can already be seen that BYD's advantage is gradually shrinking, and it needs to rely on continuous price reduction** to achieve the goal of 3 million vehicles. Therefore, the DENZA sedan will be the top priority, so what black technology do you expect this car to come up with?