BYD’s Denza N9 PHEV luxury SUV to offer 1300km range

BYD’s luxury brand Denza has launched its new flagship Denza N9 plug-in hybrid, which will battle luxury SUVs like the full-size Range Rover while challenging the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series for value.

Set to be confirmed soon for a local launch in Australia, in China the new Denza N9 PHEV is said to be the first BYD fitted with its E3 Yisanfang tech that will allow it to crab walk, tank turn and survive a 180km/h high-speed tyre failure.

Based on BYD’s e-Platform 3.0, as well as the new plug-in hybrid the large six-seat SUV will also be offered with a pure-electric drivetrain with up to 710kW of power.

Matching the dimensions of a full-size SUV, the N9 measures in at 5258mm long, 2030mm wide and stands at 1830mm tall, with a generous 3125mm wheelbase.

All versions come with a huge panoramic sunroof that spans all three rows of seating.

As standard the N9 PHEV comes with a 200kW e-motor that drives the front wheels and a pair of motors that produce 200kW that spin up the rear wheels.

Topping up the 46.9kWh Blade battery is a 152kW 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine.

Fully charged, the battery is said to provide for a pure-electric range of up to 202km on the lenient Chinese CLTC test cycle. With a fully charged battery and a full tank of fuel, Denza says drivers will be able to cover up to 1302km.

Producing a dizzying 680kW peak power, the N9 PHEV takes just 3.9 seconds to launch from zero to 100km/h and blends thrust with a miserly thirst of just 6.8L/100km.

Capable of receiving a fast DC charge, Denza says the high-voltage battery can be replenished from 30 to 80 per cent in just 19 minutes.

One of the first vehicles to come equipped with BYD’s latest ‘God’s Eye B’ autonomous driving aids, the N9 PHEV comes with a LiDar, five millimetre-wave radar, 12 ultrasonic radars and an incredible 14 cameras.

From launch the N9 is capable of self-parking in vertical, lateral or diagonal parking spots without anyone on board.

It’s thought that in the future the N9 PHEV will be capable of Level 3 cruise control that will allow drivers to stream movies or read a book without having to keep an eye on the road, but only in geofenced locations.

Within the luxurious cabin the PHEV gets a 2+2+2 layout and is said to provide enough luggage space for six suitcases and six backpacks, or a large golf bag horizontally.

Dotted around the cabin is also a further 46 storage spaces, while the second row comes with 14-way power adjustable seats that are ventilated, heated and have a massage function. There are also small tables and a 50W wireless charger.

Even the third row gets six-way power adjust seats with heating. There’s also a rear 11L fridge that can be cooled or heated.

Up front the Denza N9 gets an enormous 17.3-inch central infotainment system, plus a still-large 13.2-inch touchscreen for the passenger. There’s even a further 17.3-inch screen that drops from the rear ceiling that can be controlled via your phone and offers an AI voice assistant and a built-in Karaoke machine.

Ahead of the driver is a 13.2-inch digital instrument panel with all the onboard tech powered by BYD’s powerful DiLink 150 hardware.

In China the latest Denza N9 PHEV, that is available in two trims, is priced from 389,800 Chinese Yuan (approximately $A85,500) but when it eventually lands Down Under expect a price of around $A100,000.

Originally, Denza began life as a joint-venture between Mercedes-Benz and BYD, before the Chinese car-making giant snapped up the German brand’s stake in September 2024.

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