Business Desk 
Apr 09, 2025
Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD has launched its premium Denza brand in Europe, aiming to challenge top luxury carmakers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
The launch was announced at Milan Design Week, where the company revealed its first Denza model for Europe, the Z9 GT, a 1,000-horsepower electric sport wagon.
BYD Denza was once a joint venture with Mercedes but is now fully owned by BYD. In 2023, it sold over 4.2 million vehicles globally, mainly in China.
Despite having only 3% of these sales, Denza needs to be tested out to experiment with new tech and innovation. Denza, as claimed by BYD, is targeted at customers purchasing high-end vehicles with the latest features, from young tech-savvy drivers to old luxury car buyers.
The Z9 GT enters the market in Europe by the end of 2024, and there will be a hybrid version coming in early 2026. BYD is also planning to introduce the D9 van in Europe this year. Two off-road versions are also on the cards.
At first, Denza cars will be exported from China but will soon be manufactured locally. BYD will begin manufacturing cars in Hungary by October 2025, and a second plant in Turkey will begin production in March 2026. Together, these plants will have the capacity to produce up to 500,000 vehicles a year.
The Denza will be priced higher than BYD's current European offerings, which already have a price tag of around €72,000.
