Denza N9: here is the new flagship from BYD, Tesla's biggest competitor

Although BYD is not yet a major player in the European market, the Chinese group continues its expansion globally and now sells almost as many 100% electric cars as Tesla (source: Car Industry Analysis). If we include plug-in hybrids in this calculation, BYD is already the leading manufacturer of connected cars in the world.

But BYD has even greater ambitions and these include its high-end brands Denza and Yangwang. The first was co-founded in 2010 with the German Daimler (now Mercedes-Benz Group), but which has since withdrawn from the company's capital. At the Guangzhou Motor Show in China, it presented the large SUV N9, which joins the Z9 sedanthe Z9 GT station wagon and the D9 minivan at the top of the Denza range.

A rechargeable or electric hybrid juggernaut

This large SUV, some of which may recall the famous Range Rover, is as large as the long wheelbase version of the latter. The N9 thus measures 5.26 m long, 2.03 m wide and 1.83 m high. It is notably equipped with an active grille to optimize aerodynamics or cooling, camera-based exterior mirrors and Lidar placed above the windshield.

Denza has not yet revealed the interior of its N9, which we imagine equipped with a dashboard similar to that of the Z9 sedan, equipped with three screens. We simply know that the N9 SUV is a seven-seater model. Row 2 is equipped with two individual seats, while the third row offers three seats.

The N9 will be available in plug-in hybrid or 100% electric version. The first announces up to 680 kW (925 hp) of cumulative power, thanks to its two electric motors and its 2.0 l turbo gasoline. The electric version, for its part, has three electric motors and develops a total of 710 kW (965 hp). These very impressive powers will, however, have to deal with a titanic mass of up to 3,245 kg in the plug-in hybrid version.

If the plug-in hybrid version announces up to 165 km of electric range, enabled by a very large 47 kWh battery, Denza does not yet give details on the range of the electric version of the N9. In China, the SUV could be sold from the equivalent of around €50,000. If Denza plans to attack the European market, at least with electric cars, the manufacturer's plans on our continent remain to be detailed.