Denza Z9S, a more compact saloon, will replace the unpopular Denza Z9

According to preliminary information, the new four-door Denza will be available exclusively as an electric car. The model will be offered with either rear-wheel drive or a three-motor all-wheel drive system.

The giant Denza Z9 saloon entered the Chinese market in autumn 2024, built on the basis of the Denza Z9 GT hatchback, which debuted earlier that same year. In the brand's home market, both cars were received rather coolly, so at the beginning of this year the five-door model was updated there. Incidentally, the facelift helped the hatchback: according to local media, from January to June 2026, approximately 16,700 Denza Z9 GT hatchbacks were sold, compared to just 4,800 units in the first six months of 2025. The Z9 saloon initially saw even lower demand (its total for the whole of last year was 2,760 units), and this particular model was not updated. Moreover, the Z9 has already been removed from Denza's Chinese consumer website.

However, the brand is not abandoning the four-door body style in its lineup. Back in spring, the certification for the Denza Z9S saloon was filed with the database of China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Now this model has been shown to Chinese journalists and bloggers, with official images released simultaneously. And yes, the Z9S saloon is being announced as a completely separate new model. As a reminder, the Denza brand was founded by Daimler/Mercedes and BYD, but the Germans later exited the project. So it is now a sub-brand of BYD.

Whereas the previous Denza Z9 saloon replicated the hatchback's design, the Denza Z9S has its own distinct look. The new four-door features two-tier headlights: elongated dual LED daytime running light sections sit at the top, with vertical main headlight units below. The rear lights are also split, but they are sharper in design compared to those of the old saloon and hatchback. The Denza Z9S also has frameless doors with semi-concealed handles instead of the pop-out ones on the Z9 and Z9 GT. There is a rising spoiler on the boot lid. Like the current hatchback, a lidar is mounted above the windscreen of the 'S' model.

The Denza Z9S is more compact than the previous Z9 four-door. The new model's length is 5,090 mm, width 1,980 mm, height 1,490 mm, with a wheelbase of 3,025 mm. The dimensions of the discontinued Denza Z9 saloon were 5,235/1,990/1,500 mm, with a wheelbase of 3,125 mm. The length of the Z9 GT hatchback varies between 5,180 and 5,195 mm depending on the specification, with the same 3,125 mm wheelbase as the old four-door.

Inside, the new saloon mimics the updated hatchback. The Denza Z9S gets a similar dashboard with vertical side air vents, the same instrument cluster, multimedia system tablet, and a three-spoke steering wheel (the Z9 had a four-spoke wheel). However, there does not appear to be a separate multimedia display for the front passenger in the new model. The door cards are unique. As with the previous Denza Z9 saloon, a fairly large screen for settings is integrated into the fold-down armrest of the rear bench.

The discontinued Denza Z9 four-door was available as a hybrid or an electric car, with both versions being all-wheel drive as standard. The new saloon, according to preliminary data, will be offered only with electric powertrains. The base version is rear-wheel drive, with a 503 hp motor. More expensive variants are all-wheel drive, with three electric motors that together produce 1,210 hp. Chinese sources report that the Denza Z9S is equipped with a battery capacity of 102.3 kWh.

The full launch presentation of the Denza Z9S saloon is expected to take place in the near future.