Denza N9: Luxury three-row, plug-in hybrid SUV one step closer to Australia

BYD’s premium Denza brand is continuing to expand beyond the rugged off-road SUVs it debuted in Australia with, with a luxurious unibody SUV expected to join the local lineup.

Customer deliveries of the Denza brand commenced early this year, with the large B5 and B8 off-road SUVs followed shortly thereafter by the D9 people mover. Denza has also confirmed the local launch of the sleek Z9 GT electric shooting brake before the end of 2026.

Now, the Denza N9 has received Australian Design Rule (ADR) certification, paving the way for a local launch. We’ve contacted Denza Australia to confirm when it’ll be launched locally.

A plug-in hybrid (PHEV) large SUV with car-like unibody construction, the N9 measures 5258mm long, 2030mm wide and 1830mm tall on a 3125mm wheelbase.

The approval documents list a choice of six- or seven-seat layouts.

Plug-in hybrid SUVs of this size are common in China, but the N9 will effectively have no direct competitors here. It’s larger and more luxurious than PHEV versions of the Kia Sorento and Mazda CX-80, plus BYD’s own Sealion 8.

That leaves just the Volvo XC90, though despite offering PHEV power and a third row of seating, it’s significantly shorter at 4953mm long.

While these certification documents don’t list all specifications, they detail a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder tri-motor plug-in hybrid powertrain with a total system output of 545kW.

The engine itself produces 150kW, while the front electric motor produces 200kW and the two rear motors produce 220kW each.

Tare mass is listed as 3320kg in the local documents with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 3894kg, indicating a payload of 574kg. It’s rated to tow 2500kg, and rides on 22-inch alloy wheels.

No battery capacity is listed, but the N9 was recently upgraded in China from a 46.9kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery to a 75.3kWh pack that supports BYD’s Flash Charging, allowing for a 10-70 per cent DC fast-charge in as little as five minutes and a 10-97 per cent charge in nine.

The Chinese-market N9 has an AC charge rate of 6.6kW, a claimed 420km of electric range under the CLTC cycle, 1520km of combined range, and consumes fuel at a rate of 5.9L/100km under the NEDC cycle with a depleted battery.

It also boasts a 3.7-second claimed 0-100km/h time and total system torque of 1035Nm.

The N9 features four-wheel independent suspension with double wishbones up front and a five-link setup at the rear. It also features dual-chamber air suspension and adaptive dampers.

As expected of a flagship Chinese luxury SUV, the features list is enormously long.

In addition to tech features like automatic parking and crab walk, Denza also touts its ability to maintain a straight line should a tyre blow at 180km/h.

Inside, there’s a 17.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 13.2-inch digital instrument cluster, a 13.2-inch passenger display, and a 50-inch augmented reality head-up display.

All three rows of seating feature heating and some degree of power adjustment, with the first and second rows also receiving ventilation and massaging. Seats are upholstered in Nappa leather, with the cabin also featuring wood inlays and a suede headliner.

There are air vents for all three rows, with the second row also featuring seatback tables and an available 17.3-inch 2.5K ceiling-mounted screen.

Other features include a ‘smart’ refrigerator, a karaoke system, four-zone climate control, and either 20- or 26-speaker Devialet sound systems, both with Dolby Atmos.

The long list of active safety and driver-assist technology is powered by three radar units, 12 ultrasonic sensors, 11 cameras, and a roof-mounted LiDAR unit.

Examples of the N9 had already been spied testing locally, while late last year Denza confirmed it was evaluating the SUV for a local launch.

“We’re looking to bring in two, maybe three, additional cars in 2026, and my goal is to bring those cars into different segments, but the focus still being B5 and the B8 – that’s the volume,” Denza Australia chief operating officer Mark Harland told CarExpert in December 2025.

“If let’s say the B5 and B8 go well, and we’re attracting more and more luxury buyers from the top-end of the market, I think the N9 could be a good car for the Australian market, wearing a Denza badge,” said Mr Harland.

“It’s one of the cars that I’m looking at, nothing confirmed.

“To be very blunt, things open up to me when we start to achieve our targets for B5 and B8. So if we feel like those cars are getting good acceptance in the marketplace, our dealers are taking care of our customers, we’ve got aftersales set up, then more opportunities open up to us.”

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