Daniel Craig helps launch BYD's new premium Chinese EV brand Denza in Europe
Former James Bond, Daniel Craig, has become the face of China's newest car brand to launch in Europe.
Lending his ex-007 figure to several cars launching this year, the famous British actor will front marketing materials and television commercials related to Denza's key vehicles - the BYD sub-brand.
Denza, which claims to be the world's first premium brand devoted solely to new-energy vehicles, is pushing for worldwide recognition as it gears up to its European launch.
Denza's flagship Z9GT shooting brake will be launched on 8 April at the Palais Garner opera house in Paris - and it will come to Britain later this year
As well as having Daniel Craig as the face, the Chinese brand will look to make waves with its Z9GT - a model that can recharge in the same time it takes to fill up a fuel car with petrol.
Ex-Bond and famed British actor Daniel Craig has become the face of Chinese brand Denza, which is owned by BYD, as it starts its expansion into Europe
The Z9GT is compatible with its parent company BYD's radical Flash Charging technology.
It can charge at speeds up to 1,500kW - charging the battery from 10 to 70 per cent in just five minutes.
Denza's parent company BYD has officially overtaken Tesla as the world's largest EV seller.
BYD sold almost 28 per cent more EVs last year to hit more than 2.25 million sales.
Set aside, Denza aims to draw customers with a unique blend of cutting-edge innovations and European-influenced design elegance, so it believes Craig makes a perfect partner for this.
Stella Li, BYD executive vice president, said: 'Daniel Craig represents a powerful combination of strength, sophistication and authenticity.
'Those qualities resonate deeply with what Denza stands for.
'As we bring the brand to the world - across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa - we are proud to welcome an actor whose presence and character reflect the spirit of Denza.
'Together, we want to show how technology, design and emotion can come together to create a new vision of premium mobility.'
The Denza Z9GT EV can undergo a near full charge (10 to 97 per cent) in only nine minutes.
The lightning charging times are thanks to the Z9GT using BYD's 122kWh Blade Battery 2.0, which is the only advanced unit that can fully extract charging speeds from the devices.
BYD has also said it will install hundreds of its Flash Chargers in the UK this year, which are three times faster than the most powerful EV chargers currently available.
The price of the Z9GT is yet to be confirmed.
Premium touch: 'Daniel Craig represents a powerful combination of strength, sophistication and authenticity' says Denza's executive vice president
