Denza, BYD’s luxury division, is all set to enter India. The brand will be introduced in the country later this week. Ahead of that, spy shots of its D9 electric MPV have surfaced online. The MPV was spied being unloaded from a trailer. It had no disguise at all.
About Denza
It’s a luxury division of BYD, a Chinese automaker. Think of how Lexus relates to Toyota. The two share technology and platforms, but they take a different approach. BYD has been in India since 2007. It began its passenger-vehicle business here in 2021. Five years on, it has tried to make its mark with the Atto 3, Seal, Sealion 7 and eMAX 7. Now BYD wants to take on luxury brands like Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi and Volvo.
Denza D9
The D9 is a luxury MPV. It will take on rivals like the MG M9 and the Toyota Vellfire. Globally, it comes with multiple powertrain options. We don’t yet know which one India will get. We expect it to arrive as a completely built unit (CBU) import with the same styling as the global model.
The front has a massive faux grille with huge silver surrounds. It gives the MPV a dominating road presence. A small grille sits low in the bumper. It cools the batteries and the electric motor. From the side, it is a classic MPV. The wheels look small and the tall design maximises cabin space. It rides on 18-inch alloy wheels. It also has a sliding rear door and a sharkfin antenna.
Battery specifications
Battery- 103.6 kWh
Power- 313 PS (FWD) / 374 PS (AWD)
Torque – 360 Nm (FWD)/ 470 Nm (AWD)
Range- 580 Km (FWD) / 600 Km (AWD)
The new spy shots show the rear. It has thick, multi-layered LED tail lamps connected by a slim light bar. A wide stop lamp sits above the rear windscreen. A thick chrome insert runs over the number plate housing. It looks a bit like a moustache.
The D9 in the unloading shots had no EV AWD (all-wheel-drive) badges on the tailgate. We don’t know yet whether Denza will sell the D9 only in a front-wheel-drive (FWD) layout.
