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BYD Turns to James Bond For New Vehicle Launch
With a goal of expanding its sales outside of its home base of China, Europe has become a major focus for BYD.
The company announced Thursday that it is launching a new advertising campaign for its DENZA technology-oriented premium brand with actor Daniel Craig, best known for playing James Bond on the big screen across five films from 2006 to 2021.
Craig will promote several of the DENZA vehicles launched this year through marketing materials and TV commercials, according to the company. The first European model launch under the DENZA name comes with the Z9GT flagship model for Europe on April 8.
«Daniel Craig represents a powerful combination of strength, sophistication and authenticity,» BYD Executive VP Stella Li said. “Those qualities resonate deeply with what DENZA stands for.»
Li said BYD plans to bring DENZA to Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.
DENZA was founded in 2010 as a partnership between BYD and Daimler.
The DENZA Z9GT is said to be the «world’s longest-range pure EV» and supports five-minute ultra-fast charging, according to a report from Electrek.
The company has a goal of selling 1.3 million vehicles outside of China in 2026.
Automakers Differ On Celebrity Endorsements
BYD’s key EV rival, Tesla, has been notorious for not using celebrity endorsements for products or advertising, instead relying on word-of-mouth and strong reviews.
While Tesla doesn’t use celebrities to endorse its products, the company has attracted many celebrities to buy and use its products, including the Cybertruck, and promote the brand for free.
Other traditional automakers have been using celebrities to promote products for years.
BYD’s partnership is not directly with James Bond or the movie franchise, but utilizes the most recent James Bond actor who appeared in the title role for 15 years. On screen, Bond has been famous for driving premium vehicles like those from Aston Martin.
With Craig now being featured in ads for BYD’s premium brand, consumers could quickly associate the DENZA brand with premium and quality, similar to models that 007 himself would drive.
Photo: Piotr Zajac via Shutterstock
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