Chinese carmaker BYD drives its luxury marque Denza into Singapore

Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD has launched its luxury marque Denza in Singapore at a glitzy ceremony in Shangri-La Singapore on Oct 10, 2024. Headlining the launch is the Denza D9, a luxury all-electric, multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) that has sold over 200,000 units in China since its debut in 2022. It was the best-selling model in the country for the first half of 2024.

The boxy yet minimalist-sleek vehicle can snugly fit in seven adults, seven 20-inch luggage and seven business backpacks. There are four exterior colour options — Arctic White, Whale Sea Blue, Harbour Grey and Cosmos Black — and brown or beige for the interiors.

Measuring over 5.2m long with a maximum power of 275kW and a peak torque of 470 Nm, the Denza D9 is equipped with a high-performance permanent magnet synchronous motor and blitzes the century sprint in a remarkable 6.9 seconds.

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Its eight-in-one powertrain increases the vehicle control efficiency by 50 per cent and the 103kWh blade battery gives the car a range of up to 520 km, more than enough to hit Kuala Lumpur one-way and stand up to the rigours of corporate transfers and frequent family outings. It’s not a shabby ride either, with seats upholstered in Napa leather, multi-usage retractable tables, wireless charging ports, and even an in-built refrigerator and zero gravity massage functions in the middle row with touch-screen control in the armrest consoles.

The multimedia system is paired with 14 high-quality speakers from renowned Danish car audio brand Dynaudio. Next on the cards: Karaoke functions for sing-a-longs on a road trip.

The two variants of the Denza D9 are priced at S$296,688 for the Elite front-wheel drive and S$341,888 for the Grandeur all-wheel-drive, including COE (as of Oct 10, 2024). In the pipeline is the plug-in hybrid coupé Denza Z9 GT, which is slated to be launched in Singapore mid-2025.

Liu Xueliang, general manager of BYD’s Asia-Pacific sales division said: “This year marks a decade of BYD's presence in Singapore, where we have become the number one best-selling car brand, thanks to the unwavering support of our distributor, dealers and customers. The introduction of DENZA addresses the growing demand for luxury MPVs in the Asia-Pacific region, elevating our brand to new heights.”

Denza is the product of a 14-year-old joint venture between BYD and Mercedes, who were equal shareholders. The brand is now wholly owned by BYD, which was Singapore’s best-selling car brand in the first quarter of 2024 with 1,196 registered units — a first for a solely electric brand.

BYD Singapore has appointed Vantage Automative and Harmony New Energy Auto Service as Denza’s dealers in Singapore. The former has opened the first Denza showroom at Alexandra Road, beside the newly revamped BYD flagship showroom that was launched in August 2024. Harmony will do the same at Ubi Close at the end of October. The automotive offerings are complemented by lifestyle leather products such as wallets, Ipad folios and travel organisers that were created in collaboration with Singapore label Tocco Toscano.

At the ceremony, James Ng, managing director of BYD Singapore and Philippines, shared that MPVs make up 17 per cent of passenger car ownership in 2023 and there has been a 20 per cent increase in MPV ownership between 2022 and 2023.

He said: “We are excited to introduce BYD’s luxury tier brand and the first full electric MPV to the local market. The DENZA D9 is designed to meet the needs of families and business elites seeking luxury, safety, and intelligent mobility. With this elite product, we are confident in our ability to enhance our sales performance and solidify our number one position in Singapore.”