Denza India Debut Expected In November, Details About The Luxury Carmaker And Its First Car For India Explained Here!

There’s a lot of buzz regarding new carmakers in India this year, and the latest one to announce its entry is Denza, which is expected to debut in the middle of November. Essentially a luxury arm of BYD, the brand is all set to launch in India aiming straight for the likes of MG M9 and Toyota Vellfire. While a lot of details remain under covers, here’s everything you need to know about the carmaker and its probable first offering for India.

Who Is Denza?

BYD has been operating in India’s car market for nearly 5 years now, and while the automaker has previously faced hurdles in expanding, its products like the Seal and Atto 3 have found a strong foothold amongst a niche set of buyers. However, the carmaker now wants to move upwards to challenge established luxury brands, and that is where Denza steps in.

To give you an analogy of what the brand is, think of Denza being to BYD, what Lexus is to Toyota, or Audi is to Volkswagen. Technologies and architecture are largely shared, but with a whole new identity and level of opulence to attract luxury car owners.

What Products Does Denza Have Internationally?

Globally, Denza currently has six product offerings:

• Z9 GT: A sleek station wagon with thrilling performance and a 0-100 kmph time of just 2.7 seconds.

• D9 MPV: A luxury MPV aimed at the chauffeur-driven buyer; offers EV and PHEV options.

• Z sportscar: A two-door electric sportscar packing in more than 1,600 PS of power.

• Bao 5 SUV (also known as B5): A mid-size PHEV SUV balancing luxury and a rugged nature

• B8 SUV: Larger sibling to the Bao 5, with a similar off-road oriented theme.

Amongst these, we expect the former two to make it to India, with the D9 MPV likely to arrive first.

What Is Denza’s First Launch For India?

Competing in the niche, but fast growing luxury MPV segment in India, Denza is most likely to bring in the D9 MPV as its first offering, which is expected to be positioned as an alternative to the likes of the Kia Carnival, Mercedes-Benz V-Class, Lexus LM, MG M9 and the Toyota Vellfire in the Indian market.

The D9 MPV in India is likely to be offered in its full electric avatar, which employs a 103.6 kWh battery, delivering a claimed range of up to 600 km (NEDC).

What Can You Expect From Denza D9?

While further details including its features and pricing remain undisclosed, the Denza D9 is expected to be imported as a CBU (Completely Built-up Unit), and will have the same styling and kit as the global version. Up front, there is a massive grille with silver surrounds that give it a dominating road presence. You also get to see vertical cut-outs on the bumper for improved aerodynamics and large LED headlamps up top.

In profile, the D9 features 18-inch alloy wheels with a chrome finish and a typical MPV shape to maximise interior room and practicality. Other notable elements include a chrome surround for the windowline, a sliding rear door and a sharkfin antenna.

Towards the rear end, you get to see an almost square profile with a large windshield, roof-mounted spoiler, a flat tailgate and connected LED taillamps that add a distinct touch. The bumper is minimal in terms of design, and the tailgate extends almost all the way to the bottom for easier access.

Internationally, the MPV gets a long list of features such as a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, 15.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system, soft-close doors, 14-speaker Dynaudio sound system, AI voice assistant, power-adjustable front and rear seats, rear entertainment screens with touch-based controls, digital IRVM, twin sunroofs and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Safety is also taken care of with 9 airbags, Level 2 ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), electronic stability control (ESC), hill-hold control (HHC), hill descent control (HDC), a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), 360-degree camera and front and rear parking sensors.

For India, Denza is expected to offer the D9 in its fully-electric guise only, the specifications of which are mentioned below:

FWD- Front-wheel drive, AWD- All-wheel drive

Globally, the D9 EV gets a choice of two powertrains including a hybrid.

Denza D9: Launch Date Expected Price

An official launch date has not been announced by Denza yet, but expect the brand to make its India debut next month. The D9 MPV is likely to be priced around Rs 1 crore (ex-showroom).

CarDekho Says…

BYD is doing some of its best numbers ever globally, but its India division has remained niche. Now, instead of focusing on volumes, the carmaker is betting big on the ticket price of its products instead, and with an advanced battery technology and all the luxuries it remains to be seen if Denza can woo luxury car buyers away from established competition like Toyota which have dominated this space for many years. Not many details are known about the brand currently, but we await its debut eagerly and look forward to experiencing the D9 in the flesh.

Would you pick a Denza over a Toyota? Let us know in the comments below!