Denza, the premium electric car brand co-created by China’s BYD and Mercedes-Benz, has launched its new flagship model, the Z9 GT, at the Beijing motor show. The big fastback electric car will likely spearhead the Denza line-up when the brand comes to Europe soon.
5.2 metres long
Technical details of the Z9 GT are, thus far, a little sparse as Denza is still playing its card somewhat close to its chest. We do know that it’s quite a large car - at almost 5.2 metres long and with a broad width of 1.99 metres - and it will certainly be powerful. Very, very powerful.
The Z9 GT - the Z badge indicates a saloon or estate in Denza’s product codes, while N models are SUVs and crossovers - uses a three-motor electric layout, with one motor for the front wheels and one each for the rears. That front motor has 230kW of power output, while both rear motors provide 240kW, which translates to a total of 710kW, or 965hp. Denza says that the Z9 GT can accelerate from 0-100km/h in as little as 2.9 seconds.
It should be agile, too - Denza claims that the Z9 can pass the infamous ‘Moose Test’ at a speed of 85km/h, which is impressive. It helps that the Z9 uses BYD’s cell-to-body battery technology, which integrates the battery into the lower structure of the car, increasing rigidity and also helping to maximise interior space, although the cabin of the Z9 has not yet been shown.
Nor has Denza made any specific range claims, although it’s worth noting that one of its sister cars, the N7 crossover, boasts a 1,000km range from an 83kWh battery (although that’s according to the Chinese official range test, which often produces more optimistic figures than the European WLTP test).
Coco Chanel
The Z9 GT introduces Denza’s new design language, developed by Wolfgang Egger, former head of Audi design and now running a 1,000+-strong design department at BYD. On the stand in Beijing, Egger quoted Coco Chanel’s famous maxim that ‘Fashion is temporary, style is eternal’ in describing the relatively restrained look of the Z9.
The car has already been compared to Porsche’s Panamera and Taycan, and you can certainly see some similarities in the fastback silhouette and the slim headlights with their piercing LED units under a clear lens. One thing that Egger’s design team has done successfully is to integrate safety devices within the Z9’s styling carefully - for instance, the front LIDAR sensor, often places in a hump on the roof in many other cars, is mounted in a discreet pod below the front number plate. The radar units for the forward collision assistance and adaptive cruise control are also packaged down there, leaving the rest of the styling to be very clean, with the Denza people saying that the idea is to combine Asian aesthetics with a ‘less-is-more’ Bauhaus-style approach.
Rear spoiler
Down the sides of the Z9, the prominent line that runs from the front wheel arch vent along the bottoms of the doors is meant to evoke traditional Chinese paintbrush calligraphy, while at the rear Egger has eschewed the current trend for ultra-skinny brake lights linked by a continuous LED bar, and gone for large, distinctly separated units.
Finally, the Z9 GT’s rear spoiler is meant to mimic the posture of a crane bird.
No precise date for the arrival of Denza in Europe has yet been given, but the official word is that: “In the future, besides being available in the Chinese market, Denza Z9GT will also enter the international market, realising Denza's globalisation strategy, reintroducing Chinese luxury automobiles to the world and witnessing new heights of Chinese automobiles.”