BYD is in the process of introducing its bonus Denza brand in Australia, and what one of their upcoming models could be with an electric powertrain has just been revealed.
Technically it falls under the Fangchengbao Brand – from which the large off-road SUVs B5 and B8 are borrowed for the local Denza range – the Ti7 (short for Titanium 7) was launched in China last September as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV).
A submission from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) – shared by CarNewsChina – has detailed new electric powertrains for the boxy SUV.
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The single-motor rear-wheel drive variant produces 300kW of power, while the dual-motor all-wheel drive variant has 215kW electric motors at the front and 300kW at the rear. Like other vehicles from the broader BYD group, the Ti7 will use a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) “blade” battery.
More detailed technical specifications are not yet available, but are expected from Fangchengbao itself shortly.
There are no visible changes between EV and PHEV versions of the Ti7. The MIIT filings do not contain any interior images, but we expect the Ti7 PHEV’s interior design to be carried over, including a 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 26-inch head-up display.
As a PHEV, the Ti7 features a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 115kW/225Nm and either 26kWh or 35kWh batteries for a range of up to 200km on the CLTC cycle.
The Ti7 is available with either a single 200kW/315Nm electric motor or dual 160kW/260Nm and 200kW/360Nm electric motors.
The electric Ti7 variants have the same external dimensions as the PHEV variants and are 4999-5050mm long, 1995mm wide and 1865mm high with a wheelbase of 2920mm.
This makes the Ti7 around 200mm longer and 95mm wider than the similarly boxy Hyundai Santa Fe, with a 105mm longer wheelbase. Nevertheless, it only offers five seats.
While the Ti7 features unibody construction rather than body-on-frame construction (the latter more common in off-road vehicles), it has a maximum fording depth of 600mm and approach and departure angles of 24 and 25 degrees respectively.
The Ti7’s launch outside of China was unveiled at the Bangkok Motor Show last November, where it was revealed that it wore the BYD badge – and not the Denza badge.
BYD executives also seemed to hint earlier this month that the Ti7 would be coming to Australia.
“I actually have my team in Queensland and am doing a local evaluation with some of the R&D managers of some core projects,” said Chief Product Officer Sajid Hasan Daily Sparkz.
While the executive team did not specify which model was being tested, Mr. Hasan confirmed that it was a plug-in hybrid off-road vehicle or an electric vehicle with a range-extending gasoline engine.
“They’re tuning the suspension, the electric motor power, the petrol engine power, the acceleration response, the traction control system – there’s sort of an off-road exercise going on at the moment – and that tuning is being used on the Australian vehicles. So it’s happening and it’s very exciting,” he said.
Given its boxy design, off-road capability and Fangchengbao ancestry, the Ti7 would probably fit more logically with the Denza brand than with the BYD brand in Australia.
The Ti7 is off to a strong start in China. In January, it was the 18th best-selling model in the Chinese market, surpassing the Tesla Model Y in 20th place.
The introduction of electric versions could help boost sales further.
Fangchengbao’s Chinese offering is split between Leopard series body-on SUVs – the B5 and B8, sold here as Denzas – and Titanium series unibody SUVs, consisting of the Ti7 and mid-size Ti3 EV.
MORE: Denza B7 is just around the corner: BYD’s new EV off-roader with extended range gets local tuning
