BYD confirms Ti 7 seven-seater for NZ, one of 15 models in 18 months

BYD will bring its Defender-styled Ti 7 seven-seat plug-in hybrid to New Zealand in 2027, and the confirmation arrives wrapped in a bigger number: the brand says it has more than 15 models coming here in the next 18 months.

BYD NZ general manager Warren Willmot confirmed the boxy SUV to our sister outlet AutoTrader. “It’s in our product pipeline for 2027. We are still to confirm arrival dates and final spec for the NZ market, but yes, it’s one of the 15 plus models coming in the next 18 months,” he says.

Fifteen models in 18 months is nearly one a month, from a brand that this week alone priced New Zealand’s cheapest plug-in hybrid and landed its largest shipment since arriving here.

Off-roader looks, road-car bones

In China the Ti 7 sells under BYD’s Fangchengbao off-road brand, the same division behind the Denza B5 and B8 sold here. The difference sits underneath: where the B5 and B8 use ladder-frame chassis, the Ti 7 runs a car-derived platform aimed at road manners, wearing the upright front, square arches and tailgate storage box of something far more serious.

At 5,146mm long and 1,865mm tall it outsizes the Sealion 8, with three rows inside. Boot space runs from a token 126 litres behind the third row to 970 litres with it folded and 1,830 litres in two-seat form.

International versions point to the likely mechanical package: a 110kW 1.5-litre turbo petrol working mostly as a generator, with a 160kW front motor and 200kW rear motor for a combined 300kW, all-wheel drive and a claimed 4.8-second 0-100km/h. A 35.6kWh battery in UK specification is credited with around 120km of electric running, though the test standard is unspecified. The layout mirrors the all-wheel drive Sealion 8’s approach.

The cabin follows BYD convention with a 15.6-inch central screen and 10.25-inch cluster, and overseas equipment lists include heated and ventilated seats in both front rows, three-zone climate, a panoramic roof, an 18-speaker audio system and an integrated fridge.

New Zealand pricing, grades and final specification are expected closer to arrival. Sitting above the Sealion 8 in size and presence, the Ti 7 gives BYD a plug-in answer to the large family SUVs Kiwis actually buy, with styling that borrows from the most recognisable off-roader silhouette in the business.