BYD's Denza N8 EV Packs 1,003 km of CLTC Range Into a Five-Seat Luxury SUV

BYD is lining up another flagship for its Denza brand. Pre-orders for the Denza N8 EV open on October 26, with the full launch set for November, according to Denza general manager Li Hui, who shared the timing on Weibo.

It is a big, five-seat luxury SUV — and the headline number is a pure-electric CLTC range of up to 1,003 km (about 623 miles). Denza is calling it “the king of large 5-seater pure electric vehicles.”

Same Shell, New Heart

The N8 first arrived in China back in 2023 as a mid-to-large luxury SUV sold with plug-in hybrid power and six- or seven-seat layouts. This new version swaps the combustion hardware for a pure battery-electric drivetrain, while keeping the generous footprint.

Underneath sits a 130.15 kWh battery, built on BYD’s second-generation Blade cells. Flash Charging comes along as part of the package — BYD’s 1,500 kW system can push compatible cars from 10% to 70% in five minutes, and from 10% to 97% in roughly nine minutes.

Two Powertrain Flavors

Buyers will be able to pick between rear-wheel drive and a tri-motor setup:

• RWD single motor: 320 kW (429 hp) or 370 kW (496 hp)
• Tri-motor AWD: 270 kW (362 hp) front motor plus two 310 kW (416 hp) rear motors, for a combined 890 kW (1,193 hp), built on BYD’s e3 platform

Key Specs: 130.15 kWh Blade Battery 2.0 · 1,003 km CLTC range (623 mi) · 1,500 kW Flash Charging · 5,150 mm length · 3,075 mm wheelbase

Measuring 5,150 mm long, 1,999 mm wide and 1,820 mm high, the SUV rides on a 3,075 mm wheelbase. Those figures come from an August filing with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

A Screen-Filled Cabin

Inside, the N8 goes heavy on displays. A 30-inch central infotainment screen stretches nearly the full width of the passenger-side dash, and a 43-inch (1.1-metre) panoramic head-up display sits below the windshield.

Denza has kept the rest of the cabin minimalist, with ambient lighting, a three-spoke steering wheel and upgraded materials throughout. Spy shots published by Autohome ahead of launch showed the SUV driving in public without camouflage, complete with a roof-mounted LiDAR sensor.

A Bigger Sibling Already on Sale

The N8 is not arriving alone. BYD launched the Denza N8L EV last month, a slightly longer six-seat variant. It comes in Premium and Flagship trims, priced from 299,800 yuan (around $45,000) and 329,800 yuan ($49,000) respectively.

Both N8L versions use the same 130.15 kWh Blade Battery 2.0 and quote a CLTC range of up to 596 miles (960 km). The N8L stretches to 5,200 mm in length with an identical 3,075 mm wheelbase, and adds a 208-litre front trunk.

Pricing for the standard N8 EV has not been announced. With pre-orders days away, that is the next piece of the puzzle.