Like many automotive giants, BYD has multiple brands under its umbrella. Positioned above its namesake BYD brand are three luxury brands. Denza is a business car-focused luxury brand, Fangchengbao is an off-road vehicles-focused luxury brand, while Yangwang is its most-expensive range, covering both supercars and off-roaders.

With the BYD brand crossing its 10,000th car sold in Malaysia in September, BYD Malaysia believes that local customers are now ready for a more luxurious Denza-badged model.

The Denza brand will launch in Malaysia in Q1 2025, but unlike earlier BYD-badged cars distributed by Sime Darby Beyond Auto, Denza cars will be distributed directly by BYD itself, via its wholly owned national sales company BYD Malaysia, with Sime Darby Motors remaining as importer (and likely as a dealer too).

What is a Denza D9?

The first global model for Denza is the Denza D9, a minivan aimed at the Zeekr 009 and Maxus Mifa 9, and of course, the Toyota Alphard and Vellfire.

Two drivetrain options available, again this is dependent on individual markets. China gets a choice of a 1.5-litre plug-in hybrid (PHEV) with a 40-kWh battery, or a fully electric battery EV (BEV) with a 103-kWh battery.

Currently, only the BEV variant is available in right-hand drive markets, in Singapore and Hong Kong. As such, it is presumed that the BEV variant is the one earmarked for launch in Malaysia. Plans to introduce it in Thailand and Indonesia are underway.

The letter ‘D’ in D9 represents its position as the first model to be launched under the revived new era Denza brand (putting aside underwhelming models from the 2010s).

Other Denza models available in China are the N9, a five-seater C-segment SUV; and the fastback-style Z9.

Power output and driving range

Taking the Hong Kong market car as a reference, potential buyers from Malaysia can expect a choice of one-motor (front wheel drive) and two-motor (all-wheel drive) configuration.

Both variants are powered by the same 103 kWh capacity lithium iron phosphate (LFP) ‘Blade’ battery.

The front-wheel drive variant delivers up to 313 PS of power and 360 Nm torque, with a 0-100 km/h time of 9.5 seconds. Claimed driving range is up to 520 km, when tested under the WLTC test cycle.

The more powerful 374 PS / 470 Nm all-wheel drive variant shaves its 0-100 km/h time to 6.9 seconds, but compromises on range, achieving 480 km.

Comfort is the primary focus of this business class, lounge-like interior minivan, so the Denza D9 is available with either a semi-active (selectable modes) adaptive suspension (multi-link in the rear, Macpherson struts in front) or BYD’s flagship DiSus-C adaptive suspension.

As for charging, the Denza D9 supports up to 11 kW (3-phase) AC charging and up to 166 kW of DC fast charging. You may have seen some videos of a Denza D9 with dual-charging ports on both sides of the vehicle, but this feature is not available on overseas market models that use Type 2 / CCS2 ports. Chinese market models use a different charging socket.

V2L, a common feature on BYD cars, will also be available in the Denza D9, meaning that you can plug an adapter to the car’s socket socket and use it as a giant, mobile powerbank.

Inside the Denza D9

Stepping inside the Denza D9 is like entering a mobile lounge. Everything you expect from a Toyota Alphard is available in the Denza D9.

The seats are configured in a 2+2+3 format. The middle-row individual seats get individual controls for the sunroof, air-conditioning, massager functions, infotainment (14-speaker Dynaudio), and ambient lighting. Wireless chargers for smart devices are also available in both the first- and second-row seats.

Chinese market models also come with rear-seat entertainment, but it is unclear if this will be offered to right-hand drive markets. The ones put on display only have fold-out table trays.

There’s get a small chiller box for small cans and bottles.

In front, the driver gets a 12-inch Heads-up Display (HUD), 10.25-inch digital instrument panel, and a 15.6-inch infotainment screen. Like many BYD cars, there’s also an NFC keycard function.

The usual suite of advanced driving aids (ADAS) – adaptive cruise control, front collision warning, rear-cross traffic alert with braking, autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assistance, lane departure warning – are also available.

Of course, the exact specifications for Malaysia market model are yet to be confirmed.

What’s the price of the Denza D9?

BYD Malaysia has yet to comment on estimated prices for the Denza D9 but for reference, the Maxus Mifa 9, which is the closest equivalent to the Denza D9, starts at RM 277,563.

The Maxus Mifa 9 is by MG but unlike MG passenger cars, which are distributed by SAIC Malaysia, the Mifa 9 is distributed by Westar Maxus, without the MG badge.

BYD’s most expensive Seal model tops out at RM 200,500.

It’s reasonable to expect the Denza D9 to be launched in Malaysia at around RM 250,000 to RM 300,000.