The Denza D9 MPV will be available in a pure electric EV version as well as a DM plug-in hybrid version.

After months of warm-up, the first MPV from BYD (OTCMKTS: BYDDY, HKG: 1211) and Mercedes-Benz Group - previously known as Daimler AG - is finally set to be launched.

The MPV, named Denza D9, will be launched on May 16, according to a poster shared by Zhao Changjiang, general manager of Denza's sales division, on Weibo today.

Denza is a joint venture established in February 2011 by BYD and Daimler, with each holding a 50 percent stake. It was the first Sino-foreign joint venture in China to focus on NEVs. In February 2022, the Daimler brand was rebranded as Mercedes-Benz.

In an announcement at the end of January 24 this year, BYD said it and Daimler would increase their capital in Denza by RMB 1 billion each in monetary terms, and that the capital increase would not change the current shareholding ratio between the two.

In a separate announcement on January 24, BYD said it signed an equity transfer agreement with Daimler for Denza, which will increase BYD's stake in the company to 90 percent and reduce Daimler's stake to 10 percent.

The move, which will be subject to regulatory approval, is expected to be completed by mid-2022.

Zhao did not reveal any more information about the Denza D9 today and they are expected to be known at the launch next week. Previously, he has released a lot of information about the model, including its appearance.

Early last month, Zhao said Denza was releasing three models this year: an MPV, a medium-to-large SUV, and a midsize SUV.

The high-end MPV, the D9, will be available in an all-electric EV version as well as a DM plug-in hybrid version, he previously said.

BYD's previously announced information shows that the MPV is positioned as a medium to large luxury MPV with a 2+2+3 seating layout.

The DM version of the model has a combined torque of over 600 Nm and will have a combined range of up to 1000 km.

Information on Denza's website shows that it is currently available in Denza X plug-in hybrid and pure electric versions.