Denza Z9 GT

Denza is a Chinese carmaker owned by BYD. Think of it as BYD’s ultra luxury alternative, just like Lexus is for Toyota and Genesis is for Hyundai. 

Now, Denza is about to kick off its Indian innings with a superfast, low-slung electric vehicle which they call a supercar known as the Z9 GT. It is a four-door, five seater shooting-brake electric vehicle with immense power and posh interiors. When launched in India, it’ll go up against the likes of the Porsche Taycan, Audi RS e-tron and even the Lotus Emeya. 

The Denza Z9 GT is a handsome-looking car owing to its smooth-flowing line and shooting-brake silhouette. It also has very apparent hints of BYD's design philosophy in the way the headlights have a long swooping styling. 

The nose is sleek, low-slung and clean with massive air dams for channeling air for cooling and aero. The drooping bonnet makes way for a panel that houses the long but sleek LED headlights at the edge with a strip of LED DRL just below it. 

The shooting-brake characteristic comes into light in profile, where the car seems to be a mix of an estate with its long wheelbase and stretched effect, a coupe and a saloon. It sits on 21-inch alloy wheels with yellow finished brake callipers adding a touch of sportiness. 

At the rear, the Denza Z9 GT looks like nothing else. It has these wide proportions and low squat that gives it a sense of uniqueness, which is further elevated by an interesting horizontally laid out but intricate design detail for the LED tail lights. It also gets a split roof mounted spoiler, replicated in design by the bumper trims. 

Surely, the Denza Z9 GT will have a super unique road presence in India.

Just like most Chinese electric cars, the cabin of the Denza Z9 GT is fuss-free. Big screens literally take up the entire real estate of the dashboard with the central screen looking like a monitor from your workstation. There are three different themes on offer globally: Dark Chocolate + Perg Beige, Full Black and Dark Chocolate + Red Velvet. 

It gets a chunky central tunnel with a relatively sleek-looking steering wheel. The gear column is mounted behind the steering wheel. There’s ambient lighting all around the cabin with a glass roof above that makes the cabin airy. 

If you can’t tell by looking, the Denza’s interior is super premium. There’s a mix of leatherette and suede everywhere, along with some contrasting stitching on the seats. Ambient lighting all around further elevates the look at night. 

Think of all the features you can. The Denza Z9 GT gets them all and then some. 

The centre stage is taken by the humongous 17.3-inch central display which controls various functions of the car. It is accompanied by twin 13.2-inch displays, one for the driver and a touchscreen unit for the passenger. 

All the seats, including the rear ones are heated, ventilated and get a massaging function. For your cold drinks, there’s an integrated fridge between the front seats!

For entertainment, it gets a 20-speaker Devialet sound system. Other features like powered front seats in all rows, wireless phone chargers, Type-C ports, NFC key, four-zone climate control, and powered tailgate are also part of the package.

The Denza Z9 GT goes beyond the conventional set of safety features. Ofcourse, it features nine airbags, ISOFIX mounts, sensors and a host of electronic aids along with Level-ADAS autonomous driving assistance systems. But it also offers high speed blowout stability which promises to maintain stability even in the case of a tyre blowout at speeds of up to 180kmph. 

The Denza Z9 GT has a conventional boot space rated at 495-litre and perks of being an EV, it also features a 53-litre frunk. 

The Z9 GT uses BYD’s gen 2 Blade cell battery tech. The battery itself is huge at 122.49kWh and it is paired to three electric motors for a bonkers output of 1156PS and 1210Nm. 

It has a NEDC claimed range of 701km with a 0-100kmph time of just 2.7 seconds. It has super fast charging capabilities, more so than any charger in India has the ability to offer. 

This car is also capable of a lot of driving tech that we’ve only always seen as an innovation of the future in India like crab walk and a 360-degree turn, which can allow the car to navigate tricky situations. It also gets rear axle steering, which isn’t a novelty anymore. 

Unlike some of its rivals that might focus on the driver first and then the passengers, the Denza Z9 GT, at least on paper, seems to balance both with insane performance coupled with a genuinely regal interior and creature comforts. It has all the makings of a successful product if priced right. But for a new brand, especially one that’s Chinese, to establish itself as a premium offering over German nameplates that have an established sense of aspiration might not be a straightforward task, no matter how good the package is.