Denza Z9 GT goes on pre-sale
Regular sales and deliveries in China are scheduled to begin in September. Denza would also like to bring the Z9 GT to Europe at a later date. This was already indicated by the public demonstration of a prototype in Stuttgart in the spring. At the time, BYD said: “The new model will play a central role in the global sales of Denza and BYD.” The Z9 GT was designed by Wolfgang Egger, the former chief designer at Audi and current head of design at BYD.
The Z9 GT is not only visually reminiscent of the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo, the new Denza also plays in the sports car league in terms of performance: The system output is said to be around 1,000 hp. The kW values are more precise. The car is equipped with three electric motors (one at the front and two at the rear). The drive unit on the front axle delivers 230 kW, the two units on the rear axle 240 kW each. That makes a total output of 710 kW.
Denza is offering the Z9 GT in three PHEV variants and two BEV variants for pre-sale. All variants are all-wheel drive. The plug-in hybrids have a combined range of 1,100 kilometres according to the Chinese test cycle, while the battery-electric versions have a range of 630 kilometres. The BEVs should be able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds, the PHEVs in 3.6 seconds.
The Denza Z9 GT is 5.18 metres long, 1.99 metres wide and, depending on the version, 1.50 or 1.48 metres high – with the optional air suspension, this is 20 millimetres less than with the standard chassis. The wheelbase is 3.125 metres. A saloon version called the Denza Z9 is also due to be launched later this year.
The car is based on BYD’s e3 technology and is the first to utilise this technology. The e3 technology is compatible with plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and battery electric vehicle (BEV) platforms and utilises BYD’s latest hybrid technology DM 5.0 and electric technology e-Platform 3.0 Evo.
Denza was originally a 50-50 joint venture between BYD and Daimler AG (now Mercedes-Benz Group). The German car manufacturer reduced its stake in Denza to 10 per cent in 2021, apparently due to weak sales figures and the direction of Denza, among other things. Since then, BYD has held a 90 per cent stake in Denza and is now positioning it as a global high-end brand. The model range comprises three vehicles: the D9 minivan and the N7 and N8 crossovers.
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