Denza Z9 GT makes European debut as brand launches

Denza has officially launched in Europe marking the expansion of the BYD Group outside of its home territory.

The Chinese premium car brand will arrive in the UK in 2026, with a line-up of electric and plug-in hybrid cars.

It sits above BYD in the group's heriarchy, offering more luxurious and higher-powered models.

Denza will face stiff competition from legacy premium brands – but a seemingly strong product (alongside lessons learned from BYD’s rollout) mean it’s in a better position to succeed than most.  

Speaking at the brand's launch, Stella Li, executive vice president of BYD 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.

Denza wants to take the fight the German premium brands, and it believes it has perfect combination of style, technology and value to do so.

"We also need to pay extreme attention to the after sales service," Li explained. "We bring a very technologically model, but then we build up very strong after-sales service.

"Then this gives people's confidence. BYD is a long-term player, and we will always be here, to service them anytime, waiting for them.

"When we launch into Denza, that’s more about premium," she explained. "It's very important, not only tell by the story, but also pay attention to the details – and the service we will do much better."

To that end, Denza will land in Europe as a very separate entity to its parent brand: it’ll be sold in a separate network to BYD, with Li confirming that the brand will benefit from its own bespoke dealers, marketing and sales teams.  

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Denza will debut with its Z9 GT, a four-door shooting brake penned by ex-Alfa, Lamborghini and Seat designer Wolfgang Eggers.

"This car is really ten times better than the competition," Li said at the brand launch, "we have a lot of unique features the other legacy brands do not have."

It will be available in plug-in hybrid and full-electric guises. The BEV will use Denza’s e3 platform, which inegrates three electric motors, rear-wheel-dual motor independent steering, and a cell-to-body (CTB) battery.

Denza believes these technologies combine to push the Z9 ahead of the competition: cell-to-body makes the car 32% stiffer, while the rear-steering setup means the car can slide itself or crabwalk into tight marking spaces.  

It’s all backed up by strong performance. The triple motor arrangement delivers 965PS, meaning acceleration from zero to 62mph takes 3.4 seconds and, thanks to a 100kWh battery, the range is almost 400 miles. 

The plug-in hybrid gets the same CTB technology, albeit with a smaller battery capacity of 38.5kWh, and trick steering but gains a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine. There's two electric motors, instead of three, but the stats are nearly as impressive. Combined power is 869PS and 0-62mph take 3.6 seconds.  

The Z9 GT's interior is equipped with a central 17.3-inch touchscreen, flanked by two further 13.2-inch screens both for the driver and passenger. However, it isn't a fully digital user experience. There's also an array of switchgear throughout the cabin.

An MPV, the Z9 will follow, and eventually Denza will expand its European line-up to six or seven cars in total, including off-road models.