BYD Denza Z9S opens pre-orders from $47,100 with 1,100-km range

BYD's Denza brand opened pre-sales of the Z9S sedan on Monday at 319,800 yuan ($47,100), claiming a 1,100-km range that beats every mass-produced electric car on the market.

"The 1,100 km of range is not meant to be remembered, but to be forgotten," Li Hui, general manager of Denza, said at the launch event, noting owners can go half a month between charges.

The Z9S comes in three versions — flash charging Premium at 319,800 yuan, Flagship at 349,800 yuan, and Performance with e3 technology at 389,800 yuan. All share a 102.3 kWh second-generation Blade Battery and God's Eye 5.0 assisted driving as standard. CLTC range spans 780 km, 920 km and 1,100 km, the last breaking the 1,036-km record set by the updated Z9GT in March. Like other BYD models supporting flash charging, the Z9S can go from 10 percent to 70 percent charge in five minutes and from 10 percent to 97 percent in nine minutes.

The launch strengthens BYD's push into the 300,000-400,000 yuan premium segment, where it faces Xiaomi's SU7 and Xpeng's P7. Denza delivered 19,196 vehicles in July, up 68.76 percent year-on-year, though down 5.68 percent from June.

Range Record Puts Pressure on Rivals

The 1,100-km figure rests on BYD's second-generation Blade Battery, which uses LFP chemistry (lithium iron phosphate, cheaper but lower energy density than NMC) at an estimated cost well below the industry average. The Z9S measures 5,090 mm long with a 3,025-mm wheelbase, slightly smaller than the current Denza Z9 but larger than the Xiaomi SU7, which spans 4,997 mm with a 3,000-mm wheelbase. Standard rear-wheel steering gives a minimum turning radius of 4.75 m, and the DiSus-A intelligent air body control system handles ride comfort.

For powertrains, the Z9S offers a rear single-motor version at 370 kW and a tri-motor all-wheel-drive version with a combined 890 kW (1,194 hp) that reaches 100 km/h in 2.68 seconds. The cabin is the world's first to support Apple CarPlay's small-window mode and connects with phones from Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Honor and Samsung. A roof-mounted LiDAR, retractable spoiler, 120-liter frunk and 470-liter trunk round out the package, which comes in seven exterior colors and three interior schemes.

Denza Accelerates Product Rollout

The Z9S is the third model in the Z9 series after the Z9 and Z9GT, which sold 5,675 units in July — up 595.47 percent year-on-year but down 11.95 percent from June. Denza delivered 85,737 vehicles in the first seven months, down 6 percent year-on-year. The brand's first all-electric two-door supercar, the Denza Z, debuted at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK on July 9 and goes on sale in the fourth quarter.

BYD shares trade on the Hong Kong exchange (HKEX: 1211) and the Shenzhen bourse (SZ: 002594). The Z9S launch gives the automaker another weapon in the premium EV price war, where Tesla's Model 3 and NIO's ET5 compete for the same buyers. With the 1,100-km range claim now the segment benchmark, rivals will need to match both the battery chemistry and the flash-charging curve to hold share in China's most contested price bracket.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.