BrandsDenza Z9 GT Launches in Malaysia — 1,156hp, 600km, Charges 10–70% in 5 Minutes
Official press image of the Denza Z9 GT Malaysia launch. | © Denza / BYD Malaysia
BYD’s premium sub-brand Denza has launched the Z9 GT in Malaysia — and Malaysia is not just another market on the rollout list. It is the first right-hand-drive market in the world to receive the car, ahead of Australia, the UK, Thailand, Indonesia and every other RHD country. The Z9 GT is a five-metre-long, tri-motor shooting brake with 1,156 horsepower, a 600km WLTP range, a charging system that takes the battery from 10 to 70 percent in five minutes, and the ability to drive diagonally. It is priced from RM 358,800 — approximately $81,000 USD — and it is on sale right now.
The Denza Z9 GT is a grand touring shooting brake — the same category as the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo and Lotus Emeya, but significantly larger than either. At 5,180mm long with a 3,125mm wheelbase, it is closer in overall dimensions to the BMW i5 Touring than to a conventional sports car. The body style is sleek and steeply raked, with a Z-shaped shoulder line, dual rear spoilers including an active lower spoiler that deploys automatically above 90 km/h, and Hourglass Taillights at the rear. The soft-close doors open automatically with a projected augmented reality logo on the ground as a welcome gesture. The car weighs approximately 2,600 kilograms — the full battery and triple-motor hardware has a real physical cost — but the engineering around it attempts to make that mass disappear.
Denza is BYD’s premium sub-brand, positioned above the main BYD range and targeting the luxury and performance EV segment directly. The Z9 GT competes against the Taycan Sport Turismo and Audi e-Tron GT on specification and price, while undercutting both on outright power output and charging speed by a significant margin. The Malaysia launch represents the first time any right-hand-drive market outside China has been able to buy the car, making it particularly significant for Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the broader RHD export pipeline that includes Australia and the UK later in the year.
The Malaysian-specification Z9 GT uses the e³ Platform — Denza’s tri-motor all-wheel-drive system. The front axle carries a single 230 kW (308 hp) motor producing 410 Nm. The rear axle carries two independently controlled motors, each producing 310 kW (416 hp) and 360 Nm, for a combined rear output of 620 kW and 800 Nm. Total system output is 850 kW (1,156 hp) and 1,210 Nm of torque — enough to reach 100 km/h in 2.7 seconds and continue to a top speed of 240 km/h.
The battery is BYD’s second-generation Blade LFP unit with 122.49 kWh capacity — an upgrade from the 100 kWh first-generation unit in earlier Z9 GT variants. The energy density is 5 percent higher than the first-generation Blade Battery, and the new unit supports BYD’s 1,000-volt electrical architecture — the highest voltage currently in any production road car. WLTP-rated range is 600 km (373 miles), a figure that is generous given the power output and the car’s size. Under the more optimistic NEDC standard, the claimed figure is 701 km.
The headline technology on the Malaysian Z9 GT is BYD’s Flash Charging system — the first time this technology has appeared in a right-hand-drive market. With a compatible Flash Charger, the 122.49 kWh battery can charge from 10 to 70 percent in five minutes and from 10 to 97 percent in nine minutes. Those are figures that have no equivalent in current production EVs available outside China — the Porsche Taycan’s 800V system takes approximately 18 minutes for a 10–80 percent charge at peak conditions.
The catch is infrastructure. As of today, there are no Flash Charging stations in Malaysia. The 1,000V architecture requires BYD-specific charging equipment that is not compatible with existing CCS or CHAdeMO infrastructure. BYD Malaysia has confirmed plans to deploy Flash Charging stations starting with Denza showrooms, and says the network will be open to all brands — not just BYD and Denza vehicles. But the timeline and specifics of that deployment have not been confirmed. At launch, Z9 GT owners will charge on conventional CCS infrastructure at speeds well below the Flash Charge maximum.
Beyond the headline numbers, the Z9 GT carries a suite of features that set it apart from its European rivals in ways that matter to buyers in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Active rear-wheel steering adjusts by up to 15 degrees, reducing the turning circle of this 5,180mm car to just 4.62 metres — smaller than many compact hatchbacks. An active lower rear spoiler deploys automatically above 90 km/h. DiSus-A dual-chamber air suspension adjusts continuously for both ride comfort and handling dynamics, and can lower the rear by 50mm to ease boot loading.
The most theatrical feature is Crab Mode — where all four wheels steer in the same direction simultaneously, allowing the car to move diagonally rather than just forward and backward. A related function called Pencil Compass Turn uses the rear motors to pivot the car around its own axis for tight parallel parking. Both features are mechanical party tricks rather than daily necessities, but they demonstrate the level of independent rear-wheel control the dual-rear-motor setup enables.
Inside, the cabin is laden. Six screens total: a 13.2-inch digital instrument cluster, a 50-inch augmented reality head-up display, a 17.3-inch central infotainment touchscreen, a 13.2-inch front passenger display, a 9.1-inch digital rear-view mirror and a 6-inch rear climate control panel. A 20-speaker Devialet audio system with a pop-up dashboard centre speaker. A 4-litre refrigerator in the front centre armrest, capable of cooling to −6°C or heating to 50°C. Four-zone climate control. Rear seats with electric adjustment, heating, ventilation and massage. A 53-litre front trunk alongside 495 litres of boot space.
| Official Name | Denza Z9 GT (2026 model) |
| Body Style | Shooting brake / grand touring wagon |
| Malaysian Market | First RHD market globally (outside China) |
| Variant Available | Single BEV AWD — no PHEV at launch |
| Malaysian Price | RM 358,800 (~$81,000 USD / ~$110,000 AUD) excl. registration |
| Platform | e³ Platform (Denza/BYD) — tri-motor AWD |
| Front Motor | 230 kW (308 hp) / 410 Nm |
| Rear Motors (x2) | 310 kW (416 hp) / 360 Nm each |
| Combined Output | 850 kW (1,156 hp) / 1,210 Nm |
| 0–100 km/h | 2.7 seconds |
| Top Speed | 240 km/h |
| Battery | 122.49 kWh — BYD 2nd-gen Blade LFP |
| Electrical Architecture | 1,000V — first in Malaysia |
| WLTP Range | 600 km (373 miles) |
| NEDC Range | 701 km (claimed) |
| Flash Charging | 10–70% in 5 minutes / 10–97% in 9 minutes |
| Flash Charging Infrastructure | Not yet available in Malaysia — deployment planned |
| Rear-Wheel Steering | Up to 15 degrees — turning circle 4.62 metres |
| Air Suspension | DiSus-A dual-chamber — rear lowers 50mm for loading |
| Special Drive Modes | Crab Mode (diagonal drive) / Pencil Compass Turn (pivot parking) |
| Displays | 6 total — 50-inch AR HUD + 17.3-inch touchscreen + 4 others |
| Audio | Devialet 20-speaker system with pop-up centre speaker |
| Refrigerator | 4-litre — centre armrest, −6°C to +50°C |
| Boot Space | 495 litres + 53-litre front trunk |
| Length / Width / Height | 5,180mm / 1,990mm / 1,490mm |
| Wheelbase | 3,125mm |
| Colours | Rime Gold / Obsidian Black |
| Next RHD Markets | Australia, UK, Thailand, Indonesia — dates TBC |
Consumers here are already familiar with electric vehicles. We also have inexpensive electricity, which makes EV ownership more appealing. There’s a high level of public awareness and acceptance of electric vehicles in Quebec — the same logic applies to Malaysia.
— Denza Malaysia, official launch statement, July 15, 2026Malaysia’s selection as the first RHD launch market reflects a strategic calculation on BYD’s part. The country has one of the highest EV adoption rates in Southeast Asia, driven by government incentives that exempt EVs from import and excise duties until the end of 2026. EV market share in Malaysia reached 15 percent of new car sales in May 2026 — significantly above the regional average and approaching European levels. BYD Malaysia already operates the Atto 3, Seal, Dolphin, Sea Lion and Seal U in the market, giving it an established dealer network and customer base to launch a premium halo product into.
The Z9 GT’s RM 358,800 price puts it in direct competition with the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo in Malaysia, which is priced from approximately RM 670,000 after duties — nearly double the Denza. Against the Audi e-Tron GT, similarly priced above RM 500,000 in Malaysia, the Z9 GT offers more power, more range and significantly faster charging at a lower price. Whether Malaysian buyers trust the Denza brand enough to choose it over established European marques at this price level is the real commercial question. The product specification leaves nothing to be desired — the brand equity still has some ground to cover.
The Denza Z9 GT is a genuinely extraordinary car that would attract significant attention regardless of where it came from. The specifications — 1,156 horsepower, 600km WLTP range, five-minute 10–70% charging, active rear-wheel steering with a 4.62-metre turning circle, Crab Mode — are not incremental improvements over the European competition. They are categorical advances in what a production grand touring shooting brake can do. That BYD has packaged all of this into a car priced at roughly half the Taycan Sport Turismo’s Malaysian price is the most significant commercial fact about the Z9 GT’s launch. The honest caveat is that Flash Charging infrastructure does not yet exist in Malaysia, which means one of the car’s most impressive capabilities is currently theoretical for owners. That will change as BYD builds out the network. For now, the Z9 GT is already the most technically capable car in its price bracket in Malaysia by a considerable margin — and its arrival as the first RHD market launch signals that the rest of the right-hand-drive world is not far behind.