Denza Z9 EV Saloon Makes Public Debut at Auto Guangzhou 2024

Unveiled at Auto Guangzhou 2024 is the all-new Denza Z9 – a sleek saloon twin on the Z9 GT EV wagon.

Although not as happening as both the Chengdu Motor Show and Auto China in Beijing earlier this year, Auto Guangzhou 2024 has seen quite a number of new cars making their first public appearance. One of those models came from BYD’s luxury sub-brand Denza, who recently unveiled the sleek sedan version of its Z9 GT wagon, cordially known as the Z9.

On the visual front, the Z9 retains many design traits from its wagon twin, albeit in a more conventional three-box sedan bodystyle. Key design features present here include the sleek LED headlights and taillights, an elongated front hood, and an active rear spoiler integrated into the tailgate.

Dimension-wise, the Z9 is also not far-off from the Z9 GT, measuring 5,220 MM long, 1,990 MM wide, 1,500 MM tall, and a wheelbase of 3,125 MM for the battery electric (BEV) version. The plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version, on the other hand, gets a slightly longer overall length of 5,235 MM because of the slightly different front bumper design it comes with.

Thanks to its unusually long wheelbase, the Z9 gets a very spacious interior space that is laced with tons of luxury and tech amenities. Up front, the cabin sports a massive 17.3-inch central infotainment screen, a smaller 13.2-inch digital instrument cluster complemented with an expansive 50-inch AR head-up display (HUD), a column-style gear shifter, two 50 W wireless charging trays, and many more.

Life at the back seat of the Z9 is also quite premium, as passengers get two 8-way power-adjustable seats with built-in electric leg rests that can be operated via a dedicated control panel at the central armrest. On top of that, rear passengers also get two 12.3-inch infotainment screens, dedicated A/C vents, a built-in refrigerator, and flight-style tray tables for each passenger, to name a few.

And just like its wagon twin, the Z9 saloon also comes in both BEV and PHEV versions, with the former underpinning the same BYD e-Platform 3.0 Evo used on the recently-updated BYD Seal, while the latter adopts BYD’s fifth-gen DM-i PHEV platform. Featuring an 800-volt battery architecture, the Z9 EV gets a triple-motor setup that delivers a whopping 952 HP (710 kW), while its sizable 100-kWh LFP ‘Blade’ battery pack is good enough for up to 630 KM of CLTC range.

Meanwhile, the Z9 PHEV uses a 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbocharged petrol engine as its core, plus a triple-motor setup to deliver a total system output of 858 HP (640 kW). Juiced by a sizable 38.5-kWh LFP battery, this PHEV saloon is good enough for up to 210 KM of EV-only range and a combined maximum range of 1,100 KM, at least according to lenient CLTC standards.

Deliveries for the new Denza Z9 saloon are slated to begin next month for the Chinese market, where the sleek saloon starts from CNY 334,800 (RM206,689) for the PHEV model and CNY 354,800 (RM219,036) for the BEV version. As of now, there is no news of when this sleek saloon will make its way to other international markets, but we’d reckon the Z9 will likely follow in the footsteps of its wagon twin.