► Denza is coming to the UK
► Kicks off with MPV and wagon – then 4×4
► We speak to the boss at Goodwood
So, it’s confirmed: Denza, is coming to the UK in 2026 with three cars, the B5 4×4, the Z9 GT, and the D9 MPV. All three were on display at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed, as the brand begins its PR and marketing offensive ahead of launch. To get more insight into the strategy for BYDs premium brand, we spoke Denza’s UK boss Bono Ge.
‘We are planning to launch in middle of next year,’ he says, speaking to me in Denza’s sweltering VIP area. As you’d expect, the Denza has brand one of the larger stands at this year’s festival, and it’s using it to showcase the Z9 GT’s crab-walking antics.
‘We are preparing a few products,’ he continues. ‘At the moment we have the Z9 GT, and we are working on the European version. We are working on the D9 and the two products will be available the first roughly middle of next year.’
We’ve already driven the Z9 GT, and it’s fair to say a fair amount of localisation work will need to take place. Chinese market cars tend to come off as ‘floaty’ and relatively soft compared to the western variants, and that was certainly the case when we drove the Z9 GT in hybrid form (it’s available as an EV, too).
It’s all down to variables like driver behaviour and road conditions, but it’s something Denza is already at work to fix. It’s also something the likes of Jaecoo and Omoda also must contend with. That’s one of the reasons why they’re considering an R&D site in the UK.
The Z9 GT will launch alongside the D9 MPV (shown above), a vehicle class that seems to be enjoying a resurgence. ‘If you look at the market data, the MPV is not really high in the UK. But now MPV in China are getting very, very popular.’ Denza believes the same thing will happen in the UK. It’s a view shared by Xpeng, who is also planning to release the X9 MPV in the UK later, too. It’ll be coming to Europe in PHEV form, though it’s also available as an EV in China.
Next on the scene is the B5, a car not marketed as a Denza globally. In other markets it’s badged as yet another BYD brand – this time an off-road specialist called Fangchengbao. In the UK, however, the B5 will be the third Denza car.
‘We’ll try to get ready hopefully in Q3,’ Ge tells me. ‘With the Z9, we only get a car, so we need SUV, right? We to combine two brands in Europe, making them one brand, so we can get an SUV. We’ll also get an MPV. We can do more things.’ The B5 will be offered as a hybrid-only.
We all get tired of brands bringing electric SUVs to market – but it’s always surprising when they opt for something else. After all, electric SUVs have been a huge growth area for the last few years. With that in mind, I ask Ge why they’ve gone for such a varied line up: an MPV, wagon and 4×4.
‘It stands for technology drives elegance,’ says Ge. For Denza and BYD, the trio picked out represents the best of BYD’s technology and reaches for every extreme of the market. It’s a good way to cover more ground, quickly.
Zoom in closer and you’ll find other interesting decisions. The Z9 GT comes in both saloon and wagon in other markets, but Denza is only bringing the GT to the UK: ‘That’s where European product team made a study,’ he explains. ‘We believe the GT version is more suited to this market. You know, the pure sedan market share is not huge, right?’
Denza will arrive next year with all the intelligence already gathered from BYD, so it’ll have a better idea of UK customers. ‘BYD will help us know more about the UK customer’s thinking and the European customer’s thinking.’ Ge says. ‘UK customers are really open minded, and they really like to try new technologies.’
That’ll be useful for Denza, who is pushing its superior technology over its premium competitors. ‘We should attract customers from Mercedes, BMW but also some customers from Porsche,’ says Ge.
However, he also acknowledges other areas Denza will need to work on to deliver a truly premium experience: ‘You need to focus on a lot of details and try to make the customer journey smoother.’
Next, read what BYD boss Stella Li said about Denza on its brand launch in early 2025.
Curtis Moldrich is CAR magazine’s Digital Editor and has worked for the brand for the past five years. He’s responsible for online strategy, including CAR’s website, social media channels such as X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, and helps on wider platform strategy as CAR magazine branches out on to Apple News+ and more.
By Curtis Moldrich
CAR's Digital Editor, F1 and sim-racing enthusiast. Partial to clever tech and sports bikes
