BYD's Denza Z9S is a 1,194 hp electric sedan that can also do 920 km
China's premium electric sedans keep raising the bar
Just when the electric saloon looked like a settled category, BYD's premium Denza brand has moved the goalposts again. The new Z9S offers either a tri-motor powertrain with 1,194 hp or, in single-motor form, a claimed 920 km of range. The catch for us is a familiar one: nobody has confirmed it for Europe.
Pick your extreme
The Z9S makes you choose between two kinds of excess. The flagship uses three motors for a combined 1,194 hp, with 780 km of range on China's CLTC cycle. Alternatively, the rear-wheel-drive single-motor versions, offered with roughly 429 hp or 496 hp, trade that firepower for a claimed 920 km. Both top out at 250 km/h. Bear in mind CLTC is a notably generous test, so European WLTP figures would land meaningfully lower.
Big car, big battery
This is a substantial machine. The Z9S measures 5,090 mm long, 1,980 mm wide and 1,490 mm tall on a 3,025 mm wheelbase, making it slightly shorter than the existing Z9 while keeping fastback proportions and frameless doors. Power comes from a 102.3 kWh lithium iron phosphate pack, expected to be BYD's second-generation Blade battery. Weight ranges from around 2,250 kg for the lighter single-motor car to 2,700 kg at the top.
Serious technology
The Z9S is expected to run BYD's LiDAR-equipped God's Eye B driver assistance system, DiSus-A intelligent air suspension and a new-generation AI-powered cockpit. It slots into the Z series alongside the Z9 and Z9 GT as what Denza calls a technology luxury intelligent sedan, aimed squarely at rivals like the Xiaomi SU7. The launch colour, Dawn Purple, is a nice touch in a segment that usually defaults to grey.
What we don't know
Two important gaps remain. Denza has not announced Chinese pricing, with the market launch expected within the next few months, and there is no confirmation whatsoever that the Z9S will be sold in Europe. Denza is expanding here with cars like the Bao 5, so it is plausible, but for now this remains a Chinese-market reveal and we will simply have to wait.
AutoNext Take
The numbers here are genuinely startling, and they underline how quickly China's premium brands are advancing. Being able to choose between 1,194 hp and 920 km of range in the same bodyshell, with LiDAR assistance and air suspension as standard fare, is exactly the kind of proposition that has made established luxury saloons look flat-footed. It is not hard to see why some argue cars like this explain the retreat of certain Western electric flagships.
We would love to try one, but let us stay grounded: CLTC range figures flatter, and until Denza says otherwise, this is not a car European buyers can have. Given how aggressively the brand is pushing into Europe with the Bao 5 and the wild Denza Z, we would not bet against it eventually. For now, though, it is admiration from a distance.
