BYD’s premium luxury brand Denza is prepping its European launch with Z9 GT sales starting in Q4 2025, followed by the hybrid version and D9 MPV in early 2026.
It appears that the brand is preparing a four-seater convertible Z9 variant, as Chinese media have spotted it in Suzhou, a city with over 10 million inhabitants in eastern China, near Shanghai.
No link with Mercedes anymore
Officially, there is no information available about the convertible version, which might be a competitor to MG’s two-seater Cyberster, formally launched in Europe in late 2024, with the UK being one of the first markets to receive deliveries.
Denza was initially a 50/50 joint venture between BYD and Daimler (now Mercedes-Benz) starting in 2010, aimed at launching EVs in China. However, Mercedes reduced its stake to 10% in 2022, and in 2024, it had fully withdrawn, selling the remaining shares to BYD.
Launched in September 2024, the Z9 GT was developed entirely under BYD’s direction, using BYD’s e³ platform, Blade battery architecture, and tri-motor powertrain system. The design was led by Wolfgang Egger, formerly of Audi, Alfa Romeo, and Lamborghini.
With iconic cars on his credentials list, such as the Alfa Romeo 147 or the 8C Competizione, the Audi A7, R8 facelift, or the e-tron concepts, that heritage shone through in his BYD Han EV and Denza Z9 GT shooting brake designs. Therefore, a convertible Z9, like the one spotted in Sushou, is likely to bear his signature.
Although nothing is known about the specs of this convertible, those of the Z9 GT, from which it is derived, speak for themselves. BYD’s e³ tri-motor architecture to power high-performance electric vehicles uses three electric motors, two motors on the rear axle (for torque vectoring), and one motor on the front axle.
Together, they deliver over 710 kW or 950 horsepower and enable performances such as 0 to 100 km/hour in under three seconds. It has an estimated WLTP range of over 500 km, given the 100.1 kWh LFP battery and the Chinese standard CLTC-rated 630 km. It delivers some 640 kW or 870 hp.
The hybrid’s pure-electric range is approximately 201 km CLTC, with a total combined CLTC range of around 1,100 km. This version features a 2.0L Turbo + tri-motor + 38.5 kWh LFP battery.
Sales to start Q4 2025
BYD confirmed that European sales of the Z9 GT will commence in Q4 2025, starting with the Z9 GT electric model, followed by the plug-in hybrid version in early 2026.
Starting prices are expected to be above €72,000 for the Z9 GT EV in Europe, positioning it to compete with the Porsche Panamera, among others. Expect the Convertible to be at least in that price range, if ever coming to Europe.
Once BYD’s European plants are online, the Z9 will probably shift to local production in Hungary (expected from late 2025) and possibly in Turkey by early 202, according to Chinese sources.
At the competition, MG’s Cyberster is available in both rear-wheel drive (250 kW/340 hp) and all-wheel drive (375 kW/510 hp) configurations, with the latter offering a 0–100 km/hour acceleration time of just 3.2 seconds.
It features scissor doors and a 77 kWh battery, and a 77 kWh battery, promising ranges of 507 or 443 km depending on the variant, priced at €65,490 for the RWD and €69,490 for the AWD.
