New Chinese Toyota Prado rival coming to South Africa – What to expect

A new Chinese SUV with the stats to rival the fan-favourite Toyota Prado is on its way to South Africa.

Earlier this year, Denza announced that it would enter our market before the end of 2025, though it has remained tight-lipped about the products we can expect in showrooms.

Denza is a sub-brand of BYD, which launched in South Africa in 2023 and has been slowly expanding its lineup with new hatchbacks, crossovers, SUVs, sedans, and even a bakkie.

This new brand will serve as the luxury counterpart to BYD, similar to the dynamic between Lexus and Toyota, which is evident from the one product that has been confirmed for our market thus far.

Enter the Denza B5 – an upmarket model that will compete in South Africa’s Adventure SUV segment alongside top dogs like the Toyota Prado, Ford Everest, and Land Rover Defender.

According to Car Magazine, the B5 is scheduled to arrive in early 2026, with local pricing to be revealed closer to the release window.

What to expect

The first thing to know about the B5 is that it shares a platform and powertrain with the BYD Shark – the plug-in hybrid bakkie that launched in South Africa back in April.

Like the Shark, the incoming SUV is fitted with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which is linked to a pair of electric motors placed over each axle, giving it an all-wheel-drive system.

However, the B5 actually boasts a higher power ceiling, as Denza has uprated the drivetrain to produce up to 505kW and 760Nm.

For reference, the bakkie has access to a still-impressive 321kW and 650Nm.

The B5’s e-motors are powered by a 31.8kWh battery, which affords an electric driving range of 100km.

Regarding its size, the Denza measures 4,890mm in length, 1,970mm in width, and 1,920mm in height, putting in the same bracket as something like the Land Rover Defender.

It also has a wheelbase of 2,800mm, a ground clearance of 220mm, and a water-wading depth of 700mm.

The luxury car’s localized spec sheet will only be disclosed closer to its launch window in 2026, but based on its overseas brochures, motorists with the necessary funding are in for quite the treat.

This includes a set of large alloy wheels, automatic LED headlights, keyless entry and start, a leather multifunction steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, two-tone artificial leather upholstery, electric front seats with heating and ventilation, a 12-speaker stereo, and a 50W wireless phone charger.

The dashboard is dominated by up to three monitors comprising a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 15.6-inch rotating infotainment touchscreen, and a 12.3-inch passenger-side display.

It also comes with a heads-up display with augmented reality functions, allowing it to project information like directional updates onto the driver’s view of the road.

Safety equipment, meanwhile, includes intelligent cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning and prevention, emergency lane-keep assist, front and rear cross-traffic alert with braking, front and rear collision warning, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot detection, 360-degree cameras, and all-around parking sensors.

While the B5’s pricing will only be revealed at a later date, it will almost certainly land north of the R959,900 Shark, so expect to pay seven figures for the new Denza when it arrives in South Africa.