BYD launched its premium Denza brand in Europe, shrugging off tariff hurdles.

Chinese EV maker unveiled its plans for Denza on Wednesday at Milan’s Brera Design Week. BYD will launch its premium Denza line in Europe with the Z9GT in Q4 2025. The Z9GT is a station wagon-type vehicle.

BYD will offer battery-only and plug-in hybrid variants of the Denza Z9GT. The company did not release the pricing and exact delivery dates of the upcoming Denza vehicle.

The Chinese automaker will expand its Denza push with the D9, a seven-seat MPV, though BYD didn’t announce a timeline for its release.

“We’re thrilled to be introducing Denza to European customers, starting here in Milan and accelerating as 2025 progresses,” said Stella Li, BYD’s executive VP.

BYD’s European ambitions hit headwinds with the EU last year. In 2024, the EU slapped 17% duties on BYD’s battery EVs, citing “unfair” Chinese subsidies.

Last month, the EU initiated a probe into BYD’s Hungary plant. Subsidies allegedly let China-made EVs undercut Europe’s market, squeezing local players. Beijing and EU officials hashed out supply chain tensions in March, but tariffs persist.

BYD already sells electric vehicles in Europe. It is doubling down with Denza, targeting premium buyers amid a crowded field. Rivals like Volkswagen face stiffer competition as BYD leverages its cost edge—despite the EU’s pushback. The Z9GT and D9 signal BYD’s bid to carve out a high-end niche, even as trade friction simmers.

Tensions are rising in Canada’s telecommunications landscape as the nation’s leading telecom provider, Bell Canada, seeks to block Elon Musk’s Starlink from accessing potential subsidies.

Details of Bell Canada’s anti-Starlink efforts were shared by the Financial Times (FT).

Bell’s Push to Block Starlink Subsidies

As noted by the FT, Bell Canada and its subsidiary Northwestel are lobbying against potential subsidies that Starlink could receive for providing internet access to the country’s remote northern regions, including the Arctic. In correspondence obtained by the Times, Bell argued that Starlink’s flat pricing proves that it does not require support to operate in Canada’s remote areas. 

A decision about the matter will be announced by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). That being said, the CRTC stated in January that a subsidy would help make “internet services more reliable and affordable for residents of the Far North.”

Starlink’s Defense

SpaceX, Starlink’s parent company, has fired back at Bell, stating that blocking subsidies would harm competition and leave isolated communities such as First Nations groups with fewer, more expensive, and less reliable internet options. 

While Canada’s two biggest telecommunications groups, Bell and Rogers, still dominate the country’s internet and phone service market, Starlink has been making progress in its efforts to saturate the country’s remote regions. Starlink received official approval to operate in October 2022, and since then, it has grown its customer base to 400,000 active customers as of last year.

Musk’s Empire Under Fire in Canada

The subsidy clash is part of a broader Canadian backlash against Musk’s ventures, which seems to be fueled by his role in the Trump administration. Apart from Bell’s anti-Starlink efforts, Ontario also axed a $100 million Starlink contract. Quebec has noted that it would not be renewing its Starlink subsidy scheme as well. 

Tesla, on the other hand, lost government EV subsidies, with Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland leading the charge. As per Geoff White of the Public Interest Advocacy Center, “We should not be giving one cent of public money to an unaccountable imperialist like Elon Musk.”

ARK Invest’s Cathie Wood explained her bullish stance on Tesla once again. Tesla shares dropped after a challenging first quarter. However, TSLA stock surged on Wednesday, proving Wood’s optimism was right on the money.

In an interview with Barron’s, Wood enumerated a few reasons ARK Invest sees a bright future for Tesla. She predicts that Tesla will launch a cheaper electric vehicle (EV), starting at around $30,000—half the price of a typical Model Y. “This will help bring affordability back into auto buying,” Wood said.

Tesla’s $30,000 EV model is expected to launch this quarter. However, Tesla is already refreshing its EV lineup and offering cheaper models. It debuted a Long Range All-Wheel-Drive Model Y “Juniper” in the U.S. on April 4, priced at $48,990 before a $7,500 tax credit.

Wood also touted Tesla’s upcoming robotaxi service, which she predicts will help consumers save upfront costs that would usually go to buying a new car. The ARK Invest CEO argues that Tesla’s robotaxi service would be cheaper than Uber and Lyft because it would save costs without a human driver.

Benchmark analyst Mickey Legg echoed Wood’s prediction in a recent note. Legg believes the negative narrative surrounding Tesla is exaggerated. The Benchmark analyst encouraged investors to look at the catalysts that could drive TSLA stocks up, like its AI developments.

Similar to Legg, Wood brushed off concerns about Elon Musk’s ties to Trump and negativity surrounding Tesla stock. “News cycles pass quickly nowadays, and the best cars are going to win.”

The ARK Invest CEO also shared her thoughts on Trump’s tariffs and how they would affect companies like Tesla.

“When businesses and consumers are scared, they’ll change the way they do things, and that’s usually good for the companies that are helping others do things better, cheaper, faster, more creatively, and more productively,” she said.

Wood noted that Tesla’s heavy North American sourcing will soften tariff blows. With affordability and tech in focus, Wood sees Tesla forging ahead despite Trump’s tariffs.