James Bond trades his Aston Martin for a Denza

Daniel Craig has moved on from the role of James Bond after five films, and instead of Aston Martins he’s now getting behind the wheel of vehicles from BYD’s Denza brand.

After announcing he’d headline a new campaign for the brand on March 26, 2026, Denza has now released a video advertisement of the brand’s new spokesperson behind the wheel of a Z9 GT.

The ad sees the British actor use the Remote Parking Assist feature on the Denza smartphone app to reverse the Z9 GT out of a parking space as his stubborn (yet adorable) dog doesn’t want to walk in the rain.

He then heads out to the countryside, dropping off the dog before taking the Z9 GT for a wild ride in the dirt, sending it sideways and then doing donuts before returning to his canine companion.

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Mr Craig will appear in television campaigns and global brand campaigns for a range of Denza models, including the large B8 plug-in hybrid SUV.

The partnership between the award-winning actor and the insurgent Chinese luxury brand was facilitated and produced by Sydney-based agency MGI Entertainment.

Denza is busily expanding its global presence, and will be launched in markets across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. It commenced customer deliveries of the B5 and B8 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) off-road SUVs in Australia earlier this year, followed by the D9 electric people mover.

“Daniel Craig represents a compelling combination of strength, sophistication, and authenticity – qualities that resonate deeply with Denza’s identity,” said BYD executive vice president Stella Li in a press release.

“As we introduce the brand to global audiences, we are proud to collaborate with an actor whose presence and character embody the spirit of Denza. Together, we aim to showcase a new vision of premium mobility where technology, design, and emotion coexist.”

The Z9 GT will join the B5, B8 and D9 in Denza’s Australian lineup in the third quarter (July to September) of 2026.

Pricing and full local specs are yet to be revealed, but the sleek Z9 GT electric grand tourer is aiming directly at the Porsche Taycan with a tri-motor powertrain and a claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of just 2.7 seconds.

It will be the first all-electric vehicle (EV) sold in Australia with BYD’s next-generation Blade Battery 2.0 technology and ultra-fast Flash charging capability.

The first Flash charging sites at selected Denza dealers in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide are expected to become operational in the fourth quarter (October to December) of 2026.

With a peak DC fast-charging capacity of 1500kW, Denza says the Z9 GT’s battery can be replenished from 10 to 97 per cent in about nine minutes.

In the Chinese market the tri-motor all-wheel drive Z9 GT incorporates a 230kW electric motor at the front and two 310kW units at the rear for a total system output of 850kW, powered by a big 122.496kWh battery.

It’s also available with 370kW single-motor rear-wheel drive electric and 640kW tri-motor turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrains in China, though these haven’t been confirmed for Australia.

The Z9 GT rides on the brand’s new e3 platform and will be the first vehicle to feature advanced DiSus-A air suspension, which together with advanced software is claimed to be able to manage a tyre blowout at highway speeds.

Much like a James Bond vehicle, there are plenty of gadgets inside the cabin – though instead of ejector seats, machine guns, and smokescreens, there are luxury items like a built-in fridge and a 50-inch augmented reality head-up display.

Technically, you can control the vehicle from outside using a smartphone app like the BMW 750iL in Tomorrow Never Dies, though we'd advise against trying to use this functionality to fend off armed henchmen.

Don't try to drive it into the water, either, like the Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me... though BYD does offer the Yangwang U8 which has an emergency floating mode.

Denza’s history dates back to 2010 when it was established as a 50:50 joint venture between BYD and Mercedes-Benz.

Its first vehicle was the EV, later renamed as the 500, which debuted in 2014. It was an awkwardly styled four-door sedan around the same length as a Toyota Corolla sedan and loosely based on the Mercedes-Benz B-Class.

Production ended in 2019, the same year Denza launched its second model, the short-lived BYD Tang-based X.

It’s understood Denza sold fewer than 15,000 examples of the EV/500 across its almost decade-long run, and Mercedes-Benz reduced its stake in the venture significantly in 2021 before selling off the remaining 10 per cent stake to BYD in 2024.

By this point, Denza was undergoing a renaissance, with a fleshed-out lineup of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

In global markets, this also includes the B5 and B8 off-road SUVs which are sold under a different BYD brand, Fangchengbao, in China.

Between this Denza campaign and films such as those in the popular Knives Out franchise, Mr Craig has been keeping busy since his last James Bond film, No Time To Die, was released in 2021.

There's still no word on when the next Bond film, to be directed by Denis Villeneuve, will be released – nor whether Agent 007 will once again get behind the wheel of an Aston Martin.

MORE: 2026 Denza Z9 GT: 850kW electric GT confirmed for Australia
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