BYD has shown the cabin of the new Denza D9 ahead of its March 29 pre-sale in China, and the early signs point to more than a mild nip-and-tuck.
China’s IT Home reported that the second generation MPV keeps a three-row layout, but now adds a front passenger display, a roof-mounted screen for the second row, fold-out tray tables and small control screens on the captain seats’ armrests.
For Malaysian buyers, that matters because the D9 already on sale here in first generation form is very much about rear-seat comfort.
The current local car comes in a 2+2+3 layout with powered second-row captain seats, 5.5-inch control screens for the middle row, and a built-in motorised fridge. It also uses a 103.36kWh Blade LFP battery, with up to 520km WLTP in Advanced front-wheel-drive form and 480km WLTP for the Premium all-wheel-drive version.
What the new China-market D9 appears to add is not just a more screen-heavy, lounge-like cabin, but a far more ambitious EV brief.
Denza has improved the electric powertrain lineup so the all-wheel-drive version now uses a 340kW front motor and a 70kW rear motor for a combined 410kW, with up to 800km of claimed CLTC range. The front-wheel-drive model uses a single 340kW motor and is rated at 750km on the same test cycle. That would put clear distance between the updated China-market car and the current Malaysian D9, which remains an EV-only MPV with up to 520km WLTP (around 635km CLTC) in Advanced front-wheel-drive form and 480km WLTP (585km CLTC) for the Premium all-wheel-drive version.
IT Home, citing earlier official information, said the heavily updated model will use BYD’s second-generation Blade Battery and is claimed to support “five-minute charging” and “nine-minute full charging”, with only three extra minutes needed at -30°C.
Those are striking figures, though for now they remain manufacturer claims and the exact test conditions are still not fully spelled out.
There is another big contrast. The new D9 is expected to continue with both PHEV and EV versions, with IT Home saying the plug-in hybrid will target more than 400km of pure-electric range, while the EV is claimed to reach 800km.
That differs from the current Malaysian D9, which is sold only as a full EV.
For now, Malaysia gets the existing Denza D9 at RM259,000 to RM309,000 for remaining 2025 units, while 2026 units are set to rise to RM299,000 and RM355,000 respectively.
When this new MPV eventually heads here, Denza may have a much stronger answer for buyers who want more than just a plush electric people mover.
