Denza N8L adds a rear-drive EV variant that undercuts the hybrid on price

Denza, the premium sub-brand now solely owned by BYD after Mercedes-Benz's exit, began taking orders on September 14 for a battery-electric take on its N8L three-row SUV. The EV arrives as a rear-drive alternative to the plug-in hybrid launched in China last year and is offered in two trims at 299,800–329,800 yuan — below the hybrid's 319,800-yuan entry point.

The hybrid combines a 207-hp 2.0-liter turbo with three electric motors (one front, two rear) for a combined 762 hp and 871 Nm, originally with a 46.9 kWh battery that was later swapped for a 75.26 kWh pack. The EV, by contrast, uses a single 503-hp, 500-Nm rear motor and a large 130.15 kWh battery good for 960 km on the CLTC cycle, with 0–100 km/h taking 6.4 seconds versus 3.7 for the all-wheel-drive hybrid. Air suspension and a crab-walk mode come standard on both. The hybrid remains the volume draw so far, having found 21,174 buyers from January through August according to BestSellingCarsBlog.

Visually and dimensionally the two versions are identical, with styling borrowed from the larger Denza N9: split daytime running lights, vertical headlight clusters, flush door handles and active air shutters. Both stretch 5,200 mm long on a 3,075-mm wheelbase, sit on 20-inch wheels, seat six, and offer a 364–1,128-liter trunk plus a 208-liter frunk. Every EV gets a 13.2-inch driver display, a matching passenger screen and a 17.3-inch central touchscreen, along with a head-up display, a lidar-based driver-assist suite, a fridge, and heated, ventilated and massaging seats in the first two rows; the top trim adds a 17.3-inch ceiling screen for rear occupants.

Denza is also preparing a separate electric SUV for China that revives the N8 name — a five-seater with its own styling and tri-motor all-wheel drive.