DENZA, the luxury brand of the worldโs leading new energy vehicle manufacturer BYD Group, has entered the Philippine market with its initial model, the all-new executive-class multi-purpose vehicle D9, priced at PHP4.298 million.
Adam Hu, country head of BYD Philippines, announced during the formal launch of DENZA in the Philippinesโheld in BGC, Taguig on Friday, February 27โthat the DENZA D9 is available for PHP4.298 million. The D9 comes in four colors: Cosmos Black, Arctic White, Whale Sea Blue, and Starry Night Grey.
Available as both a pure battery electric vehicle (BEV) and a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), Hu said the first 300 customers will receive an exclusive discounted price of PHP3.998 million per unit.
Liu Xueliang, BYD Asia Pacific Auto Sales general manager, said at the launch that DENZA is expected to introduce a total of four models this year. The fourth model is the DENZA Z9 GT electric car, its latest high-end station wagon, which blends luxury, performance, and cutting-edge technology.
For the entire BYD Group, Xueliang said the company has 123,000 R&D engineersโthe largest number in the industryโand more than one million employees working on NEVs, which are now sold across 119 countries.
He also noted that BYD produced 4.6 million NEVs in 2025 and exported over one million units. BYD has been recognized for contributing to the reduction of the earthโs temperature by one degree centigrade since 2016.
He added that DENZA is present in 13 Asia-Pacific markets, with the Philippines as its latest addition.
In his speech, Hu said that DENZA is now the โgold standardโ in the NEV luxury market. To date, he said, BYD Group employs 40 people in the Philippines.
BYD dealer
Davao-based businessman Walter Alvarez, DENZA dealer principal of E-Vantage Motors in Greenhills and president of BYD dealer Image Magnet Motors Corp., said there has been strong initial uptake for the D9, with 20 reservations already queued at his dealerships alone.
He said prices for the two off-road SUV modelsโthe B5 and B8โwill be announced later. However, he noted that the SUVs have different configurations, with one model offering five seats and the other seven, and the five-seater expected to have a lower price.
DENZA dealers are already accepting reservations for both models, but official pricing announcements will be made at a later date, he added.
โThe product is comparative to the Lexus. But of course, the BYD or DENZA, theyโre always affordable,โ he said, noting that the models are comparable to the Lexus LM.
This marks Alvarezโs first foray into the Manila market for both DENZA and BYD. He has been in the car business for 25 years, primarily operating in Davao, where he distributes multi-brand vehicles.
Alvarez operates 10 BYD dealershipsโtwo in Manila and eight in Mindanaoโmaking his company the second-largest BYD dealer in the Philippines. He currently has one DENZA dealership in Greenhills.
According to Alvarez, EV infrastructure in Mindanao, particularly charging stations, is expanding rapidly, led by AC Mobility of the Ayala Group. He noted that while NEV brands have different charging standards, Chinese models have standardized their charging facilities.
So far, DENZA has opened four dealerships in Alabang, Cebu, Makati, and Greenhills. The company plans to maintain that number this year to focus on strengthening its brand image and service quality.
