Chinese car giant BYD has launched its Denza luxury vehicle brand for Europe and plans to have its first model, the Z9GT sport wagon, ready for showrooms by the end of 2025.
Already confirmed for Australia and the U.K., Denza is BYD’s upmarket electric car range with more technology, features and higher prices and was created in 2010 as a joint venture with Mercedes-Benz.
The sub-brand was revamped in 2021 and sells cars in China, with the German automaker reducing its equity interest to 10%.
The announcement comes despite the European Union's implementing 17% duties on imports of BYD battery vehicles over claims of unfair production subsidies. Discussions began between Chinese and EU officials surrounding issues related to the electric vehicle car supply chain last month.
“We’re thrilled to be introducing Denza to European customers, starting here in Milan and accelerating as 2025 progresses,” Stella Li, executive vice president at BYD, said in a statement.
This also comes as BYD records surging sales worldwide. This includes BYD U.K selling more cars in Q1 2025 than they did in the entirety of 2024.
First quarter revenue for the automaker also grew 86% from a year ago to US$1.2 billion with 986,098 passenger cars sold.
The company also overtook Tesla in total sales last year, while Tesla's sales and shares continue to drop due to political comments made by CEO Elon Musk.
