Is there anyone better to help promote a new high-end electric sports car? BYD is teaming up with Daniel Craig, AKA James Bond, to launch the new Denza Z9 GT in Europe. BYD said the new Denza Z9 GT is the “world’s longest-range pure EV” and supports ultra-fast charging in just 5 minutes.
BYD taps James Bond for its new luxury EV in Europe
With over 4.6 million new energy vehicles sold last year, including electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, BYD surpassed Ford for the first time, ranking sixth in global auto sales in 2025.
Although China remains the largest EV market by a wide margin, a surge of low-cost domestic rivals is hitting the market, fueling a price war.
BYD is aggressively expanding, launching new models overseas to drive growth this year. In Europe, BYD outsold Tesla for the second straight month, registering 17,954 vehicles compared to Tesla’s 17,664. Now, it’s about to unleash one of its most advanced EVs yet in Europe.
Denza, BYD’s luxury sub-brand, announced the new Z9 GT will launch in Europe on April 8, 2026, with its new Blade Battery 2.0 and Flash Charging tech.
The Denza Z9 GT is a high-performance luxury shooting brake that’s equipped with three electric motors, packing nearly 1,000 hp (960 PS) combined. BYD said the high-end EV can go from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in less than 3 seconds.
Powered by BYD’s new 122 kWh Blade Battery, the Denza Z9 GT offers up to 800 km (497 miles) of WLTP driving range (RWD version).
To help promote Denza’s new luxury EV launching next month, BYD is teaming up with Daniel Craig, who played James Bond for 15 years from Casino Royale to No Time to Die in 2021.
James Bond is known for driving around flashy, high-end sports cars from brands like Aston Martin and Lotus, so he (James Craig) makes the perfect fit for BYD’s new luxury EV.
“The introduction of the DENZA Z9 GT in Europe marks a very important milestone for our brand. The Z9GT represents the true spirit of DENZA — where advanced technology, beautiful design, and emotional driving come together,” Stella Li, BYD’s executive vice president, said earlier this month.
The Denza Z9 GT is “the perfect choice to introduce the principle of ‘Ready in 5, Full in 9, Cold Add 3’ to the world, as we start our global rollout of FLASH Charging in Europe,” Li added.
BYD’s new Flash Charging stations offer up to 1,500 kW of charging power, enabling EVs to recharge from 10% to 70% in 5 minutes. To go from 10% to 97% in takes just 9 minutes. And at temperatures as low as -30°C, it takes only 3 minutes longer to recharge from 20% to 97% in 12 minutes.
In China, the new Denza Z9 GT offers up to 1,036 km (644 miles) of range under CTLC conditions, which BYD claimed makes it “the world’s longest pure electric driving range vehicle.”
