DENZA Z9GT inspires with elegance and innovation

• Lead model in premium brand’s European launch mixes cutting-edge technologies with sophisticated design
• European debut of DENZA-exclusive e³ Vehicle Intelligent Control Technology Platform, which brings cutting-edge features unique to the premium market
• Pure-electric and Super DM Hybrid powertrains both deliver efficiency, refinement and strong performance

09 April 2025  DENZA, the premium technology-oriented automotive brand of the BYD Group, has confirmed the stunning Z9GT as the lead model for its launch into Europe. Officially revealed at the Brera Design Week in Milan, and exhibited in front of thousands of members of the public and key media at a custom installation in the city, the Z9GT is a perfect embodiment of the brand’s values, mixing timeless, elegant design with state-of-the-art intelligent technologies and unique features. It has been designed from the ground up to redefine what customers can expect from a long-distance, efficient grand tourer.

Stella Li, BYD Executive Vice President, commented: “We are immensely proud to bring the DENZA Z9GT to Europe, as the first step of launching our premium brand here. 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. This model is a defining example of what DENZA strives to achieve; this makes it the perfect choice to lead DENZA into Europe.”

Z9GT Design: inspired by flowing silk
Created under the guidance of Design Director Wolfgang Egger, the Z9GT is conceived as the world’s most elegant flagship GT. Its distinctive front face has a sporty, powerful appearance; the side proportions are slender and the relatively large wheels, compared with the body, emphasise the car’s luxurious credentials and deliver ‘golden proportions’, a key trait that Egger and his team strive to achieve with every vehicle.

Wolfgang Egger said: “Golden proportions is one of the basic laws for beauty in all of life; the golden ratio is at the basis of beauty, of the perception of beauty. In car design we do everything possible to get this kind of proportion, which is around a two thirds/one thirds ratio in many lines, many curves on the vehicle – even the ratio between the greenhouse and the car body. We’re constantly thinking of this when we are drawing and then modelling the sculpture of the car.”

The front design of the Z9GT is simple yet dynamic, a balance between elegance and vitality. DENZA’s designers used smooth lines to frame the upward movement. The 3D DENZA logo in the centre of the car’s face symbolises the upward force of the Z9GT, while the design team has skilfully integrated elements such as radar sensors, the active air-intake grille and parking sensors into the grille area. This helps the Z9GT to adhere to the principle of ‘containing, but not revealing’, a core component of the ‘less is more’ philosophy.

The car’s flanks feature a smooth, coherent waistline, and curved surfacing that highlights the car’s posture and reinforces a profile that appears to stretch towards the rear of the vehicle. The surfacing itself is inspired by silk and the way it drapes and falls over form.

Wolfgang Egger commented: “Take a sculpture, or a vehicle like the DENZA Z9GT, and cover it in silk. Then take the same item and cover it with cotton, and you will see something very different. The silk falls naturally and covers the body but still shows, under the surface, the beauty of what is already there.”

At the rear, the Z9GT’s grand tourer image is reinforced by a muscular shape, emphasising the car’s width and stability. The tail-lights (based on the shape of an hourglass) echo each other, creating a visual connection between the rear of the Z9GT and the symmetry of the front face. Above, a single-piece suspended rear spoiler lengthens the roofline in the side profile and, as an active component, works alongside the air suspension to bring the Z9GT closer to the ground when it is in motion, improving its aerodynamic efficiency and enhancing the driving dynamics.

Z9GT Interior: premium, limousine space meets cutting-edge technology
The Cell-to-Body structure afforded by the Z9GT’s e³ Platform gives it a low-slung look, improving its overall proportions, but it also creates an additional 15mm of vertical space and delivers a fully flat floor that ensures a roomy cabin comparable to that of a limousine in space, as well as in material quality.

Every surface in the Z9GT’s interior is clad in premium finishes – from large expanses of leather to tastefully integrated elements of light-smoked wood, whose final finish is again inspired by the softness and suppleness of silk. Multi-themed 128-colour lighting plays on the romance of light, allowing fine adjustment of the cabin ambience.

The front seats feature 12-way electric adjustment and 10-point massage and ventilation/heating, along with a world-first execution of the active side bolsters, which share their air tanks with the car’s air suspension and provide additional support during cornering.

In the rear, the ultra-wide seats are also equipped with heating, ventilation and massage functionality, helping to create a private and exclusive space in which to relax during long journeys.

The Z9GT features the latest in infotainment systems, focused on a 17.3-inch central infotainment system that ‘floats’ in front of the fascia. This display is complemented by an additional ultra-wide 13.2-inch screen that allows the front passenger to interact with in-car entertainment.

The cabin also features a refrigeration compartments that can cool its contents to as low as -6°C, a four-zone fresh-air system and a 2.1m² panoramic glass roof, complete with a sunshade that ensures the interior remains comfortable in warmer conditions.

The sound system, a 20-speaker installation from DEVIALET, uses moving speaker technology to create a theatre-quality experience that cocoons the Z9GT’s occupants in immersive audio. Should they prefer to travel in silence, the outstanding levels of sound deadening and the refinement of both the EV and DM powertrains ensure tranquil progress.

e³ Intelligent Platform brings real innovation
At the heart of the Z9GT lies the e³ Platform, created specifically for the DENZA brand. It brings a number of world-first and class-leading functions, based on four core technologies: three-motor independent drive, rear-wheel dual-motor independent steering, Vehicle Motion Control and Cell-to-Body (CTB) battery-body integration.

The e³ Platform offers a choice of powertrain choice that DENZA is able to pass on to its customers - pure electric or Super DM hybrid – while avoiding the traditional compromises that come with these solutions. The pure-electric version of the Z9GT can offer incredible acceleration of 0-100km/h in around three seconds. Its front motor produces 230kW, and each of its rear motors can reach speeds of up to 21,000rpm and has a peak power figure of 240KW (Chinese-version specifications).

The plug-in hybrid Super DM edition of the Z9GT still makes full use of a Cell-to-Body structure, and features the same rear-axle configuration as its pure-electric stablemate. Under its bonnet, however, lies a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine specifically created for Super DM. It is tuned specifically for a latest-generation electric hybrid system, which has a peak power figure of 200kW, peak torque of 315Nm and a maximum speed of 20,000rpm. Each of its rear electric motors produces 220kW (Chinese-version specifications).

The Z9GT’s intelligent architecture also means that it can ensure even greater levels of safety for the car’s occupants. Vehicle Motion Control (VMC) acts as a vehicle control hub, taking command of all of the controllable actuators of the vehicle – braking, suspension and steering. It then uses an industry-leading signal-transmission rate of up to 10ms to provide faster, more accurate and more comprehensive control of the car’s motion.

This revolutionary level of systems integration means that the car can react to situations such as high-speed tyre blowouts, recognising the incident and responding in milliseconds to adjust the torque of the unaffected tyres and the dynamic distribution of power. This enhances vehicle stability, while assistance systems also intervene to identify the lane and reduce vehicle yawing. This broadened safety boundary means that the Z9GT is better equipped to cope with tyre blowouts at speeds of up to 180 km/h.

Cell-to-Body construction integrates the Blade Battery into the vehicle structure, increasing overall rigidity by 32% and reducing front-impact intrusion by 15% and side-impact intrusion by 35%.

Rear-wheel dual-motor steering revolutionises premium E-segment
The dual motors referred to in this feature are steering motors – one allocated to each of the rear wheels – and they are controlled by the Vehicle Motion Controller to enable the right and left rear wheels to steer independently of the front axle, and each other. This self-developed system, unique to DENZA, brings a multitude of benefits, including incredible manoeuvrability for a 5.2-metre-long vehicle, improved stability when cornering, changing lanes and braking, and revolutionary parking techniques.

The rear wheels’ operation can be summarised in three situations:
Same Direction Turning – both of the rear wheels turn in the same direction at the same time. When steering lock is applied by the driver, the rear wheels can move together but in the opposite direction to the front wheels, creating a reverse angle to greatly reduce the turning radius. They can, in fact, reach positive and negative angles of 10°.

When required, the rear wheels can turn to match the angle of the front wheels, allowing a crab-walking function that operates up to an industry-leading angle of 15°.

‘Toe-in’ Rotation – Both wheels rotate towards the centre of the vehicle. This improves stability, particularly during braking, when the system can adopt the ‘toe-in’ rotation to resist lateral disturbance.

‘Toe-out’ Rotation – Both wheels rotate away from the centre of the vehicle. When the Z9GT encounters tight parking situations or narrow parallel parking, differential control of the rear wheels in this configuration allows them to pivot around the front axle. It’s this layout that delivers the Z9GT’s incredibly tight minimum turning radius of just 4.62 metres, less than many A-segment city cars.

Z9GT being honed further for European customers
DENZA’s product and engineering teams are currently working on a string of measures designed to make the Z9GT an even greater step forward upon its arrival in European showrooms, currently scheduled for the final quarter of 2025. These gains will include, but not be limited to, the powertrain, performance, range, tyre sizes and specifications, and storage capacity.

Further information will be issued, along with final European specifications of the Z9GT, in due course.