Chinese electrified vehicle specialist BYD is moving further into the premium realm, and its latest model appears to be a direct competitor to Porsche’s flagship grand tourers.
It’s called the Denza Z9 GT, and its design is seemingly heavily inspired by the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo, with a shooting brake-esque wagon body style.
According to a filing with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the Z9 GT is powered by three electric motors, developing up to 710kW.
The front motor produces 230kW and the two rear units push out another 480kW combined.
A BYD Blade lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery of undisclosed size will supply energy to the electric motors.
Images from the filing, re-published by Car News China, show the vehicle undisguised, revealing its curvaceous flanks, wide lighting elements and sleek silhouette.
The filing shows the Denza Z9 GT weighs 2875kg and measures 5180mm long, 1990mm wide and 1500mm tall, riding on a 3125mm wheelbase.
For context, the BYD Seal – the brand’s largest vehicle on sale in Australia – is 4800mm long, 1875mm wide and 1460mm tall on a 2920mm wheelbase.
The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo is 4974mm long, 1967mm wide, 1409mm tall and has a 2904mm wheelbase.
Denza – which is 90 per cent owned by BYD, with the remaining 10 per cent held by Mercedes-Benz – hasn’t specified how much the Z9 GT will cost, but photos distributed by the brand of its upcoming electric wagon testing in Europe appear to hint at a six-figure price tag.
A pre-production Denza Z9 GT was driven through Germany with a Porsche Panamera and a Ferrari GTC4Lusso, both of which differ by being petrol-powered.
It’s not yet known whether the Denza Z9 GT, or any of the Chinese spinoff brand’s cars, will come to Australia.
MORE: Everything you need to know about Denza, a BYD and Mercedes-Benz experiment