BYD's Denza brand opened pre-orders for the Z9S on August 3, 2026 — a sedan sibling to the shooting-brake Z9 GT, built to chase the longest CLTC range figure BYD has ever quoted on a production car. Three trims share the same 102.3 kWh Blade Battery pack but split into two very different personalities: two efficiency-focused single-motor rear-wheel-drive trims rated at 920 km and 1,100 km CLTC, and a 1,194 hp tri-motor all-wheel-drive flagship that hits 0-100 km/h in 2.68 seconds. Denza is positioning the Z9S as a direct answer to Mercedes-Benz's own S-Class-adjacent EQS and a range-anxiety killer for buyers who'd otherwise cross-shop a plug-in hybrid.
Update, September 23, 2026: Denza has since launched the Z9S in China at ¥255,800 (about $37,900) for the Flash Charging Premium, ¥275,800 (about $40,900) for the Flash Charging Flagship and ¥325,800 (about $48,300) for the e3 Flash Charging Performance — below the pre-sale prices quoted in this article. The 1,100 km CLTC rating belongs to the Flagship; the Premium is rated at 920 km and the tri-motor Performance at 780 km. See our launch coverage for the full price and trim breakdown.
Performance & Specs
The Premium and Flagship trims run a single rear motor rated at 370 kW (496 hp); the Flagship carries the headline 1,100 km CLTC range figure and the Premium is rated at 920 km. Step up to the tri-motor all-wheel-drive flagship and combined output jumps to 890 kW (1,194 hp), enough for a claimed 0-100 km/h sprint of 2.68 seconds, with that configuration rated at 780 km CLTC. Torque and top speed figures have not been published for either configuration as of this writing.
| Powertrain | Single-motor RWD BEV |
|---|---|
| Power | 370 kW (496 hp) |
| Torque | TBA |
| 0–100 km/h | TBA |
| Battery | 102.3 kWh (2nd-gen Blade) |
| Range | 920 km (CLTC) |
| POWERTRAIN TYPE | Battery-electric (BEV) |
|---|---|
| HORSEPOWER | 496–1,194 hp depending on trim |
| ACCELERATION | 2.68 s (0–100 km/h, tri-motor flagship) |
| TOP SPEED | TBA |
| DRIVETRAIN | RWD (Premium) or tri-motor AWD (flagship) |
| BATTERY | 102.3 kWh (2nd-gen Blade) |
| ELECTRIC RANGE | 780–1,100 km (CLTC, by trim) |
| COMBINED RANGE | — (pure BEV, no range extender) |
Dimensions & Practicality
| Length | 5,090 mm |
|---|---|
| Width | 1,980 mm |
| Height | 1,490 mm |
| Wheelbase | 3,025 mm |
| Ground clearance | TBA |
At 5,090 mm long on a 3,025 mm wheelbase, the Z9S is a full-size executive sedan, though it's actually smaller in every dimension than its shooting-brake sibling, the Z9 GT — 145 mm shorter overall, 10 mm narrower, 28 mm lower, and riding a 100 mm shorter wheelbase. The frunk holds 120 litres and the boot 470 litres, modest for the car's overall footprint but typical for a sedan body rather than the Z9 GT's wagon-style hatch. Rear-wheel steering combined with the DiSus-A air suspension gives the Z9S a claimed 4.75-metre turning radius, tight for a car this size. Denza offers 7 exterior colours and 3 interior colour schemes at launch.
| LENGTH | 5,090 mm |
|---|---|
| WIDTH | 1,980 mm |
| HEIGHT | 1,490 mm |
| WHEELBASE | 3,025 mm |
| CARGO VOLUME | 470 L |
| FRUNK | 120 L |
Charging & Battery
Every Z9S trim shares the same 102.3 kWh second-generation Blade Battery pack, an LFP chemistry design BYD has used across its flagship EVs for structural rigidity as well as energy density. Denza's flash-charging claim is aggressive even by 2026 Chinese-EV standards: 10-70% in about 5 minutes, and 10-97% in roughly 9 minutes, though those figures assume a compatible ultra-fast public charger and will run slower on typical DC hardware. BYD has not published a peak charging power figure in kW for the Z9S specifically, so treat the headline charge-time claims as best-case rather than a guaranteed real-world number.
| BATTERY | 102.3 kWh (2nd-gen Blade, LFP) |
|---|---|
| AC CHARGING | TBA |
| DC FAST CHARGING | TBA (peak kW not published) |
| DC 10-70% TIME | ~5 min (claimed) |
Design & Interior
The Z9S wears a more conservative three-box sedan silhouette than the Z9 GT's shooting-brake profile, with a full-width front light bar, a retractable rear spoiler for high-speed stability, and flush door handles. Denza revealed the cabin ahead of the pre-order opening and drew attention for a deliberate choice: physical buttons for key climate and drive functions survive alongside the main touchscreen, a break from the touchscreen-only approach several Chinese EV rivals have taken. The interior is offered in three colour schemes across a cabin Denza is positioning as a step above its own Z9 GT on materials, aimed squarely at buyers cross-shopping a Mercedes-Benz S-Class or EQS.
Technology & Features
God's Eye 5.0, BYD's latest driver-assistance suite, comes standard across the entire Z9S range rather than gated behind a top trim, built around the standard roof-mounted LiDAR unit. Denza is also marketing a connectivity claim it says is a world-first for a production car: native small-window support for Apple CarPlay, alongside direct phone-mirroring compatibility for Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Honor, and Samsung handsets — a genuinely broad spread compared to the single-ecosystem lock-in common on rival Chinese EVs. The DiSus-A intelligent air body-control system adjusts damping in real time and pairs with the rear-wheel steering system for both ride comfort and the car's tight turning radius.
Available Versions
| VERSION | POWER | TORQUE | 0-100 | TOP SPEED | DRIVETRAIN | BATTERY | EV RANGE | COMBINED RANGE | PRICE | KEY DIFFERENCES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium | 496 hp | TBA | TBA | TBA | RWD | 102.3 kWh | 920 km | — | $47,100 (pre-sale) | Entry trim, single rear motor |
| Flagship | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | 102.3 kWh | 1,100 km | — | $51,600 (pre-sale) | Mid trim, single rear motor; record CLTC range |
| Performance | 1,194 hp | TBA | 2.68s | TBA | AWD | 102.3 kWh | 780 km | — | $57,000 (pre-sale) | Tri-motor flagship, quickest 0-100 in the lineup |
Pricing & Availability
Pre-orders for the Denza Z9S opened in China on August 3, 2026, with prices spanning 319,800 to 389,800 yuan (roughly $47,100 to $57,000) across the three trims. Denza then launched the Z9S in China on September 23, 2026 at ¥255,800, ¥275,800 and ¥325,800 (about $37,900, $40,900 and $48,300), well below the pre-order prices, with deliveries starting on September 24. Export plans have not been announced. The Z9S arrives roughly a month after its shooting-brake sibling, the Z9 GT, entered international markets including the UK, so an eventual export push for the sedan is plausible even though Denza hasn't stated one; buyers outside China should treat any Z9S purchase timeline as unconfirmed until Denza names specific markets.
How It Compares
The Z9S Premium undercuts every one of these rivals on price by tens of thousands of dollars while claiming more range than any of them — NIO's ET9 tops out around 700 km, the Lotus Emeya trails badly at 485 km, and even Tesla's long-range Model S falls short of the Z9S's 1,100 km CLTC figure. The trade-off is power: the entry Z9S's 496 hp is well behind the ET9, Emeya, and Model S. Step up to the 1,194 hp tri-motor Z9S flagship, though, and Denza is claiming both more range than any of these three (780 km) and a faster 0-100 time than the Model S, at a price still likely well under half of the NIO or Lotus.
- 1,100 km CLTC range claim beats every rival in this comparison by a wide margin, at a fraction of their price
- God's Eye 5.0 ADAS and roof LiDAR standard across the whole lineup, not reserved for a top trim
- Genuinely broad phone connectivity (Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Honor, Samsung, plus CarPlay small-window support)
- The Premium trim is rated at 920 km, short of the 1,100 km Flagship
- Torque, top speed, and DC peak charging power in kW remain unpublished as of this writing
The Denza Z9S leans hard into range as its headline story, and on paper it delivers — 1,100 km CLTC comfortably beats every rival we've stacked it against here, at a price that undercuts them by tens of thousands of dollars. Standard God's Eye 5.0 and roof LiDAR across the whole range is a genuinely strong value proposition too. The catch, at the time of the pre-orders, was how much of the lineup was unconfirmed: Denza had revealed three prices and three range figures but no torque or top-speed numbers. The September 23 launch has since settled the trim-by-trim pairing and cut the prices (see the update above), though torque and top speed are still unpublished.
