«James Bond» Links Up With BYD’s Premium EV Brand, DENZA

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I’ve been watching a lot of James Bond lately. All of the James Bond movies are on Netflix, but they’re leaving soon, so I’ve been watching ones that I had never seen (many of the recent ones) and rewatching some of the ones that fit in with those. Admittedly, the movie series is not as good as I remembered it from my youth, and it has a number of … issues, shall we say. But Bond is Bond, an icon of cinema and adventure/spy movies. I just watched the most recent Bond movie, and not giving any spoilers away (even though the movie is from 2021), I will just note that I would have changed it in one obvious way — but it was certainly one of the better Bond films in my opinion.

Anyway, given that I’m in the middle of this Bond marathon, it was eye catching and funny to me that Daniel Craig, the actor who has been playing Bond since 2006, just linked up with BYD’s premium vehicle brand, Denza. No, there doesn’t seem to be any link to the Bond series itself, but you can’t see Daniel Craig without seeing Bond, and given how high-tech, sporty cars have always been a big part of Bond’s identity and adventures, there’s a clear insinuation.

Will the campaign get more people buying Denza vehicles? One would assume so or else why would BYD pay Daniel Craig to become a brand ambassador? However, I don’t assume it will make a big difference unless the campaign is quite huge. If Denza vehicles were actually featured in some Bond movies, that would be another story.

Anyway, though, on to the news. “BYD is proud to announce that British actor Daniel Craig is launching a new campaign for DENZA, its premium technology-oriented automotive brand, to coincide with its global expansion in 2026,” BYD writes. “The world’s first premium brand devoted solely to new-energy vehicles for sustainable mobility, DENZA is ready to find new customers drawn by a unique blend of cutting-edge innovations and European-influenced design elegance. As the perfect partner for this process, Daniel Craig will lend his image to several key vehicles being launched this year, including in marketing materials and television commercials.”

Naturally, while Bond is known around the world, there is a European element to this. This campaign is leading up to the European launch of the brand. It will be entering the market with its flagship Z9GT shooting brake. The model launch will be held on 8 April at the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris.

“Daniel Craig represents a powerful combination of strength, sophistication and authenticity,” said BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li. “Those qualities resonate deeply with what DENZA stands for. As we bring the brand to the world — across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa — we are proud to welcome an actor whose presence and character reflect the spirit of DENZA. Together, we want to show how technology, design and emotion can come together to create a new vision of premium mobility.”

BYD continues to link up with large cultural forces in Europe to try to work its way into the market. It’s been going fairly well so far, but we’ll have to see how much of a mark Denza can make in a premium vehicle market that is dominated by BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Volvo Cars, and other European auto brands.