BYD’s luxury EV brand Denza launches in Singapore

The brand launched its first model in the city-state, the D9 large multi-purpose vehicle, on Thursday, according to Singapore-based car selling platform Motorist.

It comes in two variants: the D9 Elite, which has a price tag of S$296,888 (US$227,500), and the D9 Grandeur priced at S$341,888 (US$262,000). Both prices include Certificate of Entitlement, a permit required to own and use a vehicle in Singapore.

Some 300 orders have been placed for the D9, according to a BYD representative cited by The Business Times.

Another Denza model, the Z9 GT sedan, is planned to debut in the city-state by mid-2025.

BYD will directly distribute Denza vehicles and has named two existing partners, Vantage Automotive and Harmony Auto, as its dealers.

The Singapore launch came as the brand is looking to expand to large markets in the Asia-Pacific region.

Liu Xueliang, BYD’s Asia-Pacific sales general manager, said at the Thursday launch event that Denza will launch in Thailand later this year and in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Malaysia in 2025.

Apart from Denza, Singapore recently saw the launch of Zeekr, another luxury EV brand, in August and is expected to welcome EV maker Neta by the end of 2024. Both brands are from China.

While more Chinese automakers are seeking to enter Singapore, BYD has been dominating the country’s car market, The Straits Times reported.

In the first half of 2024, it registered 2,587 new vehicles, accounting for 13.9% of the market, and is the best-selling brand when considering only authorised dealer registrations.