Right-hand drive confirmed for BYD Ti7: Yep, looks like the Prado fighter will be a BYD not a Denza
China’s BYD has announced fresh details of its all-new BYD Ti7 three-row large SUV and confirmed it for the right-hand drive UK market.
Opening the door wide open for Australian sales, BYD has announced its latest SUV offering that is sold as the FangCheng Bao Titanium 7 in China, won’t be renamed a Denza for the UK.
Its reasoning is that the five-metre-long Ti7 rides on a car-like monocoque platform, rather than the rugged ladder-frame the slightly smaller 4888mm-long Denza B5 sits on, which means it won’t be as capable off-road and will not be able to tow anywhere near the 3000kg the B5 can tug.
READ MORE: BYD is booming in Australia, but in China it continues to suffer a sales decline. What’s the turnaround plan?
READ MORE: BYD’s Fang Cheng Bao Titanium 7 launched: All-electric Toyota Prado rival shapes up for Aussie arrival as a Denza
READ MORE: BYD Shark 6 expansion revealed: Cab chassis and new Performance flagship boost top-selling PHEV ute
Instead, the Ti7 will be positioned above the Sealion 7 in BYD’s line-up.
For now, British buyers will be able to buy Ti7s with BYD’s latest-generation DM-p plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Combining a small turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol with two electric motors (one to drive each axle) and a 35.6kWh lithium iron-phosphate battery, the seven-seat BYD punches out an impressive 440kW for a 0-100km/h dash of 4.8 seconds.
With a full charge, the Ti7 is claimed to be able to travel up to 127km on EV power alone.
Despite locking in the plug-in hybrid version, there’s no mention of the all-electric variant that was released in China in recent weeks.
That car came with either a single e-motor with 300kW or dual motors that provide for all-wheel drive and raise total power to 515kW.
Whichever you choose, the new Ti7 EV comes with a large 106kWh battery that sees the rear-drive BYD SUV cover up to 755km on a single charge, while the punchier all-wheel-drive variant can travel up to 675km before it needs plugging in, with both recorded on the lenient CLTC testing cycle.
Both versions are also claimed to be capable of receiving an ultra-fast flash charge of up to 1500kW, although no official charging times have been released yet.
Whichever you choose, climb aboard the Ti7 and you won’t miss its large 15.6-inch central touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, plus a huge 26-inch head-up display.
In China, BYD has announced that the Ti7 is priced from just 220,000 yuan (A$45,000) which is significantly less than the $74,990 price for the smaller, entry Denza B5.
But since it’s still sold as a FangCheng Bao in its home market, it remains to be seen whether the Ti7 will eventually wear Denza badges in Australia.
