Denza’s 850kW Z9GT wagon spotted in Auckland ahead of local launch
Words: Autocar
Denza’s Z9GT, an 850kW electric shooting brake with a 2.7-second 0-100km/h claim, has been spotted in Auckland ahead of its local arrival. The car is listed as arriving soon on Denza New Zealand’s website with registrations of interest open.
Posted to Reddit by user Exact_Monk_7897, the photo shows a silver Z9GT behind the fence of a vehicle yard near Mt Smart Stadium, parked alongside a consignment of Denza B8 SUVs.
The poster noted the roof-mounted lidar sensor that supports BYD’s God’s Eye driver assistance system, a feature not fitted to the B5 and B8 Denza has sold here since earlier this year.
Tim Greene, sales manager for DENZA NZ, told us; “this eagerly anticipated model is planned to join us on NZ shores! The car spotted is part of our planned pre-launch activities.”
While he didn’t provide specific details on spec or price, he said more details will be announced closer to the launch. “Customers interested in Z9GT can register their interest via our website to be first in line for updates and launch details.”
The published specification explains the interest. The Z9GT is a tri-motor electric grand tourer producing around 850kW, with 820km of range on China’s CLTC cycle. It uses BYD’s Blade Battery 2.0 on the Super e-Platform, whose flash charging is claimed to take the battery from 10 to 97% in around nine minutes, and rides on the e³ platform with rear-wheel steering and independent torque control at each wheel, enabling low-speed tricks including a crab-walk mode.
Inside, Denza lists a 50-inch augmented reality head-up display, Nappa leather, Devialet audio, ambient lighting with 128 colour choices, ventilated and massaging seats with extended leg rests, and a built-in fridge. The car is 5.2 metres long on a 3,125mm wheelbase.
The charging claim is only realisable on hardware New Zealand does not yet have. The country’s fastest public sites run 400kW equipment, against the 1,000kW-class chargers BYD and others are building in China, and BYD has indicated it plans to bring its flash charging network here in time.
The Z9GT would be the most powerful car BYD’s group has sold in New Zealand by a wide margin, and one of the most powerful cars on sale here at any price. It arrives within the 15-model pipeline BYD has described for the next 18 months.
