BYD’s Fastest-Charging Car in the World Is Astonishing—in Good and Bad Ways

The Denza Z9 The GT is the fastest car in the world – the fastest when it comes to charging, of course. Its speed is by no means slow (we’ll get to that), and it’s packed with cutting-edge technology (we’ll get to that, too). But, trust me here, it’s the awesome charging technology that BYD has implemented here that should get you hot under the collar.

Many car brands claim charging times that are, shall we say, massaged. This is not the case with the Denza Z9 GT. I sat in the car and personally watched it go from 10% to full in just over nine minutes. This makes it seem like all other EVs are standing still in this department, and the Z9 GT heralds a new era of electric cars that will confuse the gasoline faithful whose main argument has always been that you can’t fill up EVs quickly.

Denza is BYD’s “premium” electric vehicle brand, here to upset Porsche and Polestar, and the Z9 GT is its opening salvo in Europe, intended to scare off Western competition with a heady mix of performance, standard capabilities such as crab walking and all-wheel steering, and an electric architecture well ahead of any competition.

Photography: BYD

Yes, the Z9 GT has all of that, but in a hasty attempt to prove that it deserves to be considered by consumers alongside premium German automakers, BYD has unwisely abandoned its winning strategy of offering more for much less and is here offering more for more.

You’re used to seeing the Chinese company seriously undermining the competition, right? Well, keep your hat on. This Z9 GT will cost €115,000 in Europe. That’s about $134,000. This is an incredibly high price, which goes against one of the core brand values ​​we associate with BYD, and to add insult to injury, the same car retails for just £55,000 in Australia and around £45,000 in China.

How on earth can BYD justify such a huge price hike for Europe? This is definitely not possible all be blamed on tariffs, shipping, certification, dealer networks or even a costly global advertising campaign led by Daniel Craig. I asked BYD, and the only other reason I found for the sharp price increase was “market contextualization.” Which, to put it simply, means BYD thinks it can get away with charging more in the EU.

But you can’t get into the premium market by setting a price. Just because you charge the same price as Porsche doesn’t mean buyers will view you the same way. This gives the impression that in the West, BYD is trying to establish itself in this part of the market without gaining brand equity. Confidence at this price point builds slowly and six-figure spenders tend to stick with what they know. We will see very soon whether such a bold or reckless strategy works. And all of this doesn’t even take into account the painful pre-owned value challenges faced by owners of high-end electric vehicles. Porsche Taycans can lose half their value in just one year.