BYD launches Porsche-rivalling Denza brand in Europe
BYD offshoot Denza is set to launch its first two cars in the UK, with the arrival of the European-influenced Z9GT 'shooting brake' followed by a seven-seat MPV, the D9. Both models' design has been led by former Audi design boss Wolfgang Egger.
Launching the new brand in Europe during Milan Design Week, BYD executive vice president Stella Li said: 'The DENZA brand has European influence at its heart, and we are confident that buyers will find distinctive, unique appeal in the car's mix of sophisticated, elegant design, strong performance and astounding technology.'
The Denza brand sits above BYD with Li telling us last month that it will be a rival for Porsche. A third BYD brand, Yangwang, will be arriving in Europe with even greater aspirations, with Li saying that it will rival Ferrari.
Although Denza is being positioned as a 'premium technology-oriented' brand, each letter of the Denza name relates to what the company says are its key attributes: D is for diverse, E for elegance, N for novel, Z for zenith and A for aspirational.
Denza has been around in China since 2010 when it was launched as a joint venture between BYD and Mercedes. Today it's wholly owned by the Chinese brand, although the European influence is clear.
Stella Li also confirmed that Denza models in Europe will get a bespoke set-up for its chassis, which we would expect would give it a more sporting feel.
Denza's first car to come to Europe, the Z9GT is a sleek estate car in the mode of traditional shooting brakes and is clearly aimed at the Porsche Taycan Tourismo models. In profile the cars look very similar.
The Z9GT makes use of BYD's advanced e3 platform with its Blade Battery and cell-to-body technology for greater rigidity and a low centre of gravity – two key features for a sporting model. It'll be available with a fully electric powertrain featuring a 100kWh battery – promising a 0-62mph time of 3.4 seconds and a range of 391 miles – or with BYD's plug-in hybrid DM-i system that is proving so popular in the BYD Seal U DM-i.
The Z9GT DM-i is almost as fast as the electric version, with a 0-62mph time of 3.6 seconds, yet its combination of 38.5kWh battery (with a range in China of 125 miles) and 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine means a combined range in Chinese tests of 684 miles.
As well as the chassis being tuned for European tastes, the Z9GT gets four-wheel steering to make the 5,180mm-long car more manoeuvrable, especially when parking, and also enabling the car to do what Denza calls a 'smart crab walk' moving the car diagonally with all four wheels pointing sideways in the same direction. Denza has also fitted a new Vehicle Motion Control which acts like a central control unit that can adjust the adaptable air suspension system in milliseconds.
Inside the Z9GT there are plenty of luxury touches, with leather and wood used in the cabin, powered front seats that offer heating, cooling, massaging and active side bolsters to offer more support during cornering. Rear passengers also get heated, cooled and massaging seats.
The large, central infotainment screen is 17.3in across, while there's a digital display in front of the driver and a similar 13.2in screen in front of the passenger, too. Up above is a 2.1m, square panoramic glass roof, while there are fridges on board that can cool down to minus 6 degrees Celsius.
There's also a 20-speaker sound system from French audio specialists Devialet that promises theatre-style audio quality.
Following the Z9GT will be the very un-Porsche-like Denza D9 luxury seven-seat MPV, which will also use the e3 platform to offer fully-electric or DM-i plug-in hybrid technology – although in China it uses the Seal U's 1.5-litre engine rather than the Z9GT's 2.0-litre unit.
Although there's no word on prices or firm arrival times, we understand both new Denza models will go on sale within the next 12 months, with the Z9GT possibly arriving in the UK late in 2025. We'd expect Denza to be sold through some of BYD's already established UK dealers.
Pricewise, the Z9GT is likely to compete head-on with the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo, so we'd expect a starting price in the region of £90,000.
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