Peter Lyon
November 2, 2024
In September, BYD Malaysia announced that the Denza luxury sub-brand would launch in the country in the first quarter of 2025. The company has officially confirmed that the Denza D9 EV MPV will, as expected, be its debut model in Malaysia, competing with the Zeekr 009 and the Alpha/Vellfire models.
In Malaysia, Denza will be distributed by BYD Malaysia rather than Sime Darby Motors. Through its Sime Darby Auto Imports company, Sime Darby has been designated as the official importer and will most likely continue to be a dealer as well.
Although the firm has not yet disclosed any information or specifications, it did in August give the local media a sneak peek at the Denza D9 in right-hand drive (RHD) configuration while attending a roll-off event in Changsha, China.
The RHD version which was unveiled in Hong Kong earlier this year, is only available in fully electric configuration at present. There are two different powertrain options. The base model has a single motor on the front axle that produces 313 horsepower and 360 Nm of torque which corresponds to a 0-100 km/h time of 9.5 seconds.
That time is reduced to 6.9 seconds with the all-wheel drive option, which also includes an extra electric motor on the back axle that increases the system’s overall output to 374 horsepower and 470 Nm.
The same 103 kWh lithium ion phosphate (LFP) “Blade” battery pack powers both powertrain options, promising a range of 520 km (WLTP) for the FWD version and 480 km (WLTP) for the AWD version. The charging capacity is rated at 166 kW with a DC fast charger and 11 kW with AC power.
The D9 in China is unique in that it can be charged in parallel utilising two different charging ports on either side of the vehicle. This enables the car to reach its maximum DC fast charging speed of 166 kW with slower chargers. International models that use the CCS2 charging interface, however, are not able to use that capability.
Highly influenced by Toyota’s Alphard or Vellfire and Lexus’ LM, the Denza D9 gets two luxurious captain seats with 10-way massage function. It also employs a 14-speaker Dynaudio sound system, a three-zone independent climate control system, three 50W wireless charging pads, including two for the second row captain seats, and even a 7.5-litre fridge underneath the front central armrest in case you’re suddenly in the mood for champagne. The D9 is offered in two variants in neighbouring Singapore— the front-wheel drive D9 Elite is priced at SGD296,888 (approx. RM984k), while the D9 Grandeur AWD comes in at SGD341,888 (approx. RM1.13 million), both inclusive of COE.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
Given that the D9 has taken a lot of hints from the Toyota Alphard, this pricing structure means that the Denza D9 significantly undercuts both the all-new Toyota Vellfire Hybrid (from SGD399,888, approx. RM1.32 million), and the Zeekr 009 (from SGD400,888, approx. RM1.33 million) in Singapore. Stay tuned for updates.
