All-electric Denza Concept X debuts at the Shenzheng show

Denza, an all-electric car manufacturer co-founded by Daimler and BYD in 2012, has only produced one vehicle model throughout its history. The Denza 500 sedan/saloon came out in 2014 based on the same architecture as the first-generation Mercedes B-Class. Its allegedly poor design and overall styling have instantly led to poor sales that plummeted another 60% to just 1,974 units sold in 2018. Despite this, the manufacturer came to the ongoing 2019 Shenzhen, Hong Kong & Macau International Auto Show with the all-new e-SUV Denza Concept X.

Germany took design matters into its own hands this time around, evidenced by the “Styled by Mercedes-Benz” plaque on the car body. And, it has to be said, the car doesn’t look half as bad this time.

That said, what you see here is a mere mock-up without a chassis or cabin to speak of. It seems likely that the car will once again borrow its chassis and principal tech from Mercedes-Benz. Mass production is scheduled for 2020, and the company even goes as far as to specify the driving range: 500 kilometers, or 310 miles, when charged to the max.

The all-electric car will be able to sprint from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in less than five seconds, Denza says. Finally, the company also wants to launch the same car model with a hybrid drivetrain. No technical specs are available for the latter right now, but sourcing it from its German founder seems the most realistic scenario for the Chinese enterprise right now.

Photos: autoweek.nl