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WIRED
09-04-2025
- Automotive
- WIRED
BYD Launches Denza in Europe—Another Mighty Impressive EV Brand the US Won't Get
Apr 9, 2025 2:06 PM BYD's premium sub-brand is all set to take on Audi, BMW and Mercedes, with its crab-walking, blowout-beating Z9GT leading the charge. President Trump's seeming determination to keep Chinese EVs out of the US is not stopping BYD's expansion plans, with the EV giant announcing today that it is bringing its premium sub-brand Denza to Europe. Sitting between the BYD main brand and its luxury high-end marque Yangwang, Denza is aiming to slot right into the premium auto market. The customers of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes all seem likely targets, even if Denza's executive vice president Stella Li was reluctant to confirm that to journalists at the brand-hosted launch in Milan, Italy. The move to launch Denza in the EU could perhaps not come a better time for BYD. Cui Dongshu, the secretary general of the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), has told Reuters that Trump's sweeping (and now paused) tariffs are expected to have a major indirect impact on export sales—particularly in Southeast Asia nations which were hit with some of Trump's heftiest levies. By rolling out another brand in Europe, not only will BYD continue its march towards worldwide dominance in the auto sector, it can potentially offset these Southeast Asian export losses. At the end of last month, BYD reported a record annual revenue of $107 billion for 2024. By contrast, Tesla's revenue for the year was $97.7 billion, and its deliveries declined for the first time last year by 1.1 percent. Moreover, the vast majority of BYD's shipments last year were to domestic customers, with a mere 10 percent exported overseas. It is no surprise then that investors and analysts are bullish on BYD's growth potential—and Denza launching in Europe is just the latest illustration of this. Denza's Z9GT is launching in Europe to take on BMW, Audi and Mercedes. Photograph: Denza BYD's Denza is initially launching into Europe with a two-model line-up—the Z9GT is leading the charge, with the D9 MPV following later. The plan, Denza claims, is to eventually roll out a range of vehicles across all categories, mirroring what it has already done in China. Denza was originally founded in 2010 as a joint venture between BYD and Mercedes-Benz, launching its first car into the Chinese market in 2014. Now wholly owned by BYD, it went through a significant rebrand in 2021, with Wolfgang Egger—who previously led design teams at Audi and Lamborghini—joining at the helm as chief designer. The Z9GT has been chosen by BYD as the Denza car to launch into the market because it apparently represents the 'best of BYD technology and the best of BYD design,' Li says. At its heart is Denza's own e3 Platform, which brings a number of headline features. Certainly one of the most striking is its rear-wheel dual-motor independent steering, which enables the right and left wheels to steer independently of the front axle, and of each other. As well as allowing drivers to toe in and toe out of tight spaces, it also allows the car to 'crab walk'—where the auto seemingly glides in a sideways motion—up to an industry-leading angle of 15 degrees. This eminently useful lateral trickery is all controlled by Z9GT's Vehicle Motion Control architecture, which can take over braking, suspension and steering—even in the case of a high-speed tire blowout, where it can adjust the torque of the unaffected tyres, redistributing the power at speeds of over 110 mph. The e3 Platform also allows the Z9GT to adopt a Cell-to-Body structure, which sees the Blade Battery integrated into the car's architecture, as seen in the BYD Seal. Aside from a stiffening boon to the chassis, this ensures a fully flat floor and helps to create an additional 15 mm vertical space in the cabin for as much room inside as possible. The Chinese brand is hoping that by offering the latest auto tech it can quickly gain a foothold in the EU. Photograph: Denza Speaking of the interior, expect suitably premium leather seats and wooden accents across the dash, with 128-color lighting for setting the cabin ambience to your taste. Front seats will get 12-way electric adjustment and 10-point massage and heating, along with a supposedly world-first execution of active side bolsters, which share their air tanks with the car's air suspension for additional support during cornering. A large 17.3-inch central infotainment system floats in front of the fascia and is joined by dual ultra-wide 13.2-inch screens to allow the front passenger to interact with the in-car entertainment. Extra features include a refrigerated compartment for chilling contents down to -6°C, and a 2.1m2 panoramic glass roof, plus a 20-speaker sound system from audiophile brand Devialet. The Z9GT will offer a choice of powertrain at launch, either pure electric—launching first in November—or Super DM hybrid, which will come with a 2-liter turbocharged petrol engine and follow in February 2026. Denza says the pure-electric version will offer 0-60 mph in a rapid 3.4 seconds, with the hybrid promising the same in 3.6 seconds. Of course, price will be a huge factor in how successful Denza is in its ambitions against its well-established, and better-known competition. Denza and BYD are staying tight lipped on pricing for now, so we'll expect to hear more as we get closer to the Z9GT's launch later this year. And as for any plans for an US launch? A quick and simple answer: 'We don't have any plans to launch any consumer car in the US,' Li says.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
BYD's Denza launches N9 SUV to rival Mercedes, BMW in premium EV segment
China's biggest electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD launched its most expensive model under its Denza brand to challenge BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the luxury segment as competition in the world's largest auto market intensifies. The Denza unit on Friday unveiled the six-seat SUV called Denza N9, priced at 389,800 (US$60,860) to 449,800 yuan, which is available in plug-in hybrid and pure-battery versions. Denza also sells D9 MPV, which was rolled out in 2022 and priced from 339,800 yuan. The SUV will be equipped with BYD's self-developed God's Eye autonomous driving systems and can also support on-vehicle drone systems, both of which were first introduced in February, the company said at its headquarters in Shenzhen. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. "We hope to prove to the world that China cannot only produce good cars, but also gain a foothold in the luxury market," chairman and founder Wang Chuanfu said. The N9 underscored BYD's ambitions to build premium EVs and expand its product line and customer base. The EV maker sold about 3.84 million plug-in hybrids and pure EVs last year, making it the king of the segment with about 20 per cent share of the global EV market. A Denza booth inside a shopping centre in Beijing in November 2023. Photo: Reuters alt=A Denza booth inside a shopping centre in Beijing in November 2023. Photo: Reuters> The N9 could also heighten competition in mainland China's luxury EV market with Li Auto, Zeekr, and Huawei-backed EV brand Aito. Smartphone maker Xiaomi also entered the segment with its SU7 Ultra, a four-door sedan that outran the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT over one lap at the Shanghai International Circuit and priced at nearly a quarter of the German car. "Chinese EV makers started looking at the premium segment as they moved up the value chain to chase higher margins," said Eric Han, a senior manager at Suolei, an advisory firm in Shanghai. "Their aggressive push will threaten Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and BMW." Most EVs in China are currently priced below 300,000 yuan and have largely replaced internal-combustion engine cars due to their high-performance batteries, preliminary self-driving technologies and digital cockpits. Global brands dominated China's premium car segment until local producers Li Auto and Xpeng made inroads last year with their intelligent EVs. Sales of Mercedes-Benz cars fell 6.7 per cent last year, while BMW suffered a 13.4 per cent drop and Audi's deliveries declined 9 per cent, industry data showed. Denza was established in 2011 as a joint venture between BYD and Mercedes-Benz. The Chinese company bought a 40 per cent stake from its partner in January 2022 to take control of the unit. BYD is known for assembling EV models priced below 200,000 yuan - about 30 per cent below the levels of premium models from Tesla, Nio and Xpeng. BYD also sells luxury EVs under Yangwang, a brand introduced in 2023 and priced at more than 1 million yuan. This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Sign in to access your portfolio
South China Morning Post
22-03-2025
- Automotive
- South China Morning Post
BYD's Denza launches N9 SUV to rival Mercedes, BMW in premium EV segment
China's biggest electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD launched its most expensive model under its Denza brand to challenge BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the luxury segment as competition in the world's largest auto market intensifies. Advertisement The Denza unit on Friday unveiled the six-seat SUV called Denza N9, priced at 389,800 (US$60,860) to 449,800 yuan, which is available in plug-in hybrid and pure-battery versions. Denza also sells D9 MPV, which was rolled out in 2022 and priced from 339,800 yuan. s, both of which were first introduced in February, the company said at its headquarters in Shenzhen. The SUV will be equipped with BYD's self-developed God's Eye autonomous driving systems and can also support on-vehicle drone system both of which were first introduced in February, the company said at its headquarters in Shenzhen. 'We hope to prove to the world that China cannot only produce good cars, but also gain a foothold in the luxury market,' chairman and founder Wang Chuanfu said. The N9 underscored BYD's ambitions to build premium EVs and expand its product line and customer base. The EV maker sold about 3.84 million plug-in hybrids and pure EVs last year, making it the king of the segment with about 20 per cent share of the global EV market. A Denza booth inside a shopping centre in Beijing in November 2023. Photo: Reuters
