Denza hasn’t even launched properly in the UK with its new Z9GT yet, but it has already announced that its second car to follow on from the high-performance four-door coupe will be… a big family MPV.
The seven-seater D9 DM-i will be a plug-in hybrid MPV offering 130 miles of electric range from a chunky 58.5kWh battery using parent company BYD’s latest ‘Super Hybrid’ tech and rapid charging capability that would put most fully electric cars to shame – because just wait until you hear how fast it can charge up (it’s on the next line).
The D9 will be able to juice its battery at up to 559kW, thanks to BYD’s new ‘Flash Charging’ setup that will make its debut on the first Denza Z9GT. BYD has said it plans to install a network of the charge points in Europe, which would mean that the D9 could get from 10–70% charge in just five minutes, or 10–97% in nine minutes.
Unlike the Lynk & Co 10+ electric saloon, which promises faster charging than BYD’s second generation Blade technology, this car is actually on its way to the UK. A bird in the hand is worth two in the Chinese market, as the saying goes.
What’s even the point of the 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, you might be wondering. That’s a good question, probably one worth posing to Denza once it’s opened up a dealership or two. Filling up the 64-litre petrol tank and brimming the battery will get you a range of (up to, obvs) 590 miles says BYD, but when you can fill your battery in five minutes it’s all a bit moot isn’t it.
Of course, with a feather under 2.9 tonnes of car to shift about the place you’ll probably be glad of the petrol backup, and 120 miles of range from a 58.5kWh battery is probably the sort of thing you’ll want to charge at home where you can.
The interior is described by Denza as “first class travel on wheels”, and though we haven’t seen inside the car yet we’re assured of its swankiness. The new Mercedes VLE could have some competition here…
There’s a fancy sound system, electric sliding doors and tailgate, plenty of leather, optional ‘zero gravity’ seats in the middle row, USB plugs galore and even wireless phone charging pads for passengers in the poshest seats.
Denza is proud of the fact too that even with seven (adult) passengers onboard there’s still 430 litres of space in the boot, room enough for everyone to bring a cabin bag and a backpack.
No word on price or exact UK specifications yet, but Denza launches in the UK over the summer and we’ll be sure to bring you all of the information as soon as we get it.
