Daimler & BYD reveal the Denza EV Concept: Beijing 2012

Denza EV Concept

The partnership between Daimler and BYD in China has revealed its first fruit – the Denza EV Concept - at the Beijing Motor Show.

It’s just a few weeks since we learned that Daimler and BYD had come up with a name for their joint venture in China to produce New Energy Vehicles (basically EVs).

Denza – or Tengshi, in Chinese – seeks to take Daimler’s expertise in car making (and they do claim more than any other car maker on the planet) and mate it with BYD’s undoubted expertise in electric cars to build a car company that only produces new energy vehicles. Hence we get the Denza EV Concept.

The Denza EV is said to be based on the old B Class platform (maybe that’s where they’re hiding the batteries?) and looks a bit concept glitzy with its big 1950s US grill.

The four door coupe shape of the Denza has suicide doors at the back for easy access to the ‘Lounge’ area and an interior fitted with chrome, wood and copper and lots of ambient lighting.

Denza are being coy about what’s under the skin of their new EV, but they do say they already have prototypes on the road and the production version of the Denza EV – together with a name, we assume – will hit showrooms in 2013.

Denza predict (with maybe just a hint of wish being father to the thought) that the number of EVs in China will rise from the current level of around 10,000 to over 5 million by the end of the decade. Which should make ecomentalists with a predilection for cutting man-made CO2 jump for joy. But they’d be wrong.

China’s electricity is 90 per cent fossil fuel driven and recent studies show that EVs in China effectively produce more CO2 than ICE cars. And if you take away the only (spurious) USP of BEVs, what’s left?

Just second-rate technology at inflated prices?

By Cars UK