DENZA, BYD's technology-focused premium brand, has stepped into an entirely new category with the Z: an all-electric supercar built on a dedicated e3 Sports Car Platform. Revealed publicly at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 9, 2026, the Z arrives in three distinct body styles — Coupe, Spider and a track-focused Racing version — all sharing a triple-motor all-wheel-drive system that produces 1,604 PS (1,582 hp). The range-topping Racing variant, fitted with an optional semi-slick tyre package, needs just 1.96 seconds to reach 100 km/h and tops out at 350 km/h. Pre-sales opened in China at 680,000 yuan (about $100,300) for the Coupe, while UK order books opened the same week at £142,900. DENZA is positioning the Z as proof that its "Technology Drives Elegance" ethos scales all the way up to genuine supercar performance, backed by BYD's latest Blade Battery and FLASH Charging tech.
Performance & Specs
All three DENZA Z variants share the same headline output: 1,180 kW (1,604 PS / 1,582 hp) and 1,240 Nm of torque from a triple-motor AWD layout — a 500 kW (680 PS) motor up front paired with two 340 kW (462 PS) motors at the rear, each independently controllable for torque vectoring. The standard Coupe hits 100 km/h in 2.25 seconds and 200 km/h in 6.36 seconds, with a 300 km/h top speed. The Racing version matches that with its standard road tyres, but fitted with the optional semi-slick tyre package it drops to 1.96 seconds to 100 km/h, 6.0 seconds to 200 km/h, and a 350 km/h top speed. DiSus-M magnetorheological damping is standard across the range, paired with Vehicle Motion Control (VMC) software that DENZA says processes chassis signals every 10 milliseconds, plus a Tyre Burst Control system and a low-speed "Compass Turn" party trick that pivots the car on its front axle. Boost Mode adds a 30% torque overboost for 20 seconds, and a dedicated Track Mode logs lap data via an onboard G-sensor while letting drivers save custom suspension and power-distribution profiles.
| Powertrain | Triple-motor AWD BEV |
|---|---|
| Power | 1,180 kW (1,604 PS / 1,582 hp) |
| Torque | 1,240 Nm |
| 0–100 km/h | 1.96s (semi-slick) / 2.25s (standard) |
| Battery | 76 kWh |
| Range | 380 km (WLTP) |
| POWERTRAIN TYPE | Battery-electric (BEV), triple-motor AWD |
|---|---|
| HORSEPOWER | 1,180 kW (1,604 PS / 1,582 hp) |
| ACCELERATION | 1.96s 0-100 km/h (Racing, semi-slick) |
| TOP SPEED | 350 km/h (Racing, semi-slick) |
| DRIVETRAIN | AWD |
| BATTERY | 76 kWh (2nd Gen Blade LFP) |
| ELECTRIC RANGE | 410 km (Coupe, WLTP) |
| COMBINED RANGE | — (pure BEV) |
Dimensions & Practicality
| Length | 4,780 mm |
|---|---|
| Width | 1,975 mm |
| Height | 1,330 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,780 mm |
At 4,780 mm long, the Coupe and Spider are the most compact DENZA yet sold in Europe, riding on a 2,780 mm wheelbase shared across the whole Z range. The Racing version grows to 4,870 mm and 1,990 mm wide to accommodate a fixed rear wing and a much larger front splitter. Kerb weight ranges from 2,230 kg for the Coupe up to 2,300 kg for the Spider, reasonable for a four-seat EV carrying a steel-aluminium body with more than 40,000 Nm per degree of torsional stiffness. Boot capacity is 250 litres on the Coupe and Racing, dropping to 131-176 litres on the Spider to make room for the retractable roof mechanism; DENZA has not published a separate frunk figure for the Z.
| LENGTH | 4,780 mm (Coupe/Spider), 4,870 mm (Racing) |
|---|---|
| WIDTH | 1,975 mm (Coupe/Spider), 1,990 mm (Racing) |
| HEIGHT | 1,330 mm (Coupe), 1,350 mm (Spider/Racing) |
| WHEELBASE | 2,780 mm |
| CARGO VOLUME | 250 L (Coupe/Racing), 131-176 L (Spider) |
Charging & Battery
Every DENZA Z variant uses the same 76 kWh 2nd Generation Blade Battery, an LFP pack integrated directly into the chassis via Cell-to-Body 2.0 (CTB 2.0) gigacasting — a design BYD says is up to 20% more space-efficient than a conventional cell-to-pack layout. FLASH Charging supports up to 1,500 kW of DC input through a single port, enough to take the battery from 10% to 70% in five minutes or 10% to 97% in nine minutes. AC charging tops out at a conventional 11 kW. WLTP-rated range is 410 km for the Coupe, 400 km for the Spider, and 380 km for the Racing — modest by long-range-SUV standards, but DENZA's pitch is that ultra-fast charging removes range anxiety from the equation entirely for a car built around back-to-back driving.
| BATTERY | 76 kWh, 2nd Gen Blade Battery (LFP), CTB 2.0 |
|---|---|
| AC CHARGING | 11 kW |
| DC FAST CHARGING | Up to 1,500 kW (FLASH Charging) |
| DC 10-70% TIME | 5 minutes |
| DC 10-97% TIME | 9 minutes |
Design & Interior
BYD Global Design Director Wolfgang Egger describes the Z as "a living sculpture of speed," and the shape backs that up: powerful front and rear fenders, a slim beltline that positions occupants low and central, sharp lower-bumper creases mixed with LED daytime-running lights, and diamond-shaped tail-lights at the rear. The paint uses a multi-layer pearlescent finish that shifts shade depending on viewing angle and light, available across 10 exterior colors ranging from Le Mans Blue to Monte Carlo Orange. Inside, the four-seat cabin mixes full-black trim with brighter stitched finishes across another 10 interior color combinations, with 8-way power seats offering heating, ventilation, and massage. Brake calipers can be specified in orange, yellow, red or blue, and the Spider's soft-top roof is available in multiple colors of its own. A digital rear-view mirror, wireless phone charging, and vehicle-to-load (V2L) power output round out the cabin tech, while the Racing version adds an optional roll cage, carbon-fibre trim, and removable rear seats for track use.
Technology & Features
The cabin centers on a 12.8-inch touchscreen running Google built-in alongside an 8.88-inch digital instrument cluster, with a 12-speaker Devialet sound system fitted to the Coupe and Racing (10 speakers on the Spider). Drivers get a virtual engine sound generator with customizable interior and exterior profiles, a multi-theme ambient lighting system, and a dedicated Track Mode that captures lap telemetry through an onboard G-sensor and lets drivers save custom setups for suspension and power distribution. A one-touch Drift Mode enables controllable lateral slip, and the low-speed Compass Turn function lets the Z pivot tightly around its front wheels — both features aimed squarely at enthusiast drivers rather than daily commuting.
Safety & ADAS
The DENZA Z carries a conventional L2 driver-assistance suite rather than the LiDAR-heavy setups DENZA fits to its SUVs: Driver Fatigue and Distraction Monitoring, Front and Rear Cross Traffic Alert with automatic braking, Lane Departure Assist, Intelligent Cruise Control, and Blind Spot Detection. Passive safety includes a driver's airbag, front passenger's airbag, two front-seat side airbags, a driver's-side rear airbag, and front-and-rear curtain airbags. Braking hardware is shared across the range — 6-piston carbon-ceramic calipers up front, 4-piston carbon-ceramic calipers at the rear — chosen for both stopping power and the roughly 30 kg of unsprung-mass savings BYD claims over conventional steel discs.
| ADAS LEVEL | L2 driver-assistance suite |
|---|---|
| ADAS FEATURES | Fatigue/distraction monitoring, front & rear cross-traffic alert with braking, lane departure assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection |
Available Versions
| VERSION | POWER | TORQUE | 0-100 | TOP SPEED | DRIVETRAIN | BATTERY | EV RANGE | COMBINED RANGE | PRICE | KEY DIFFERENCES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coupe | 1,582 hp | 1,240 Nm | 2.25s | 300 km/h | AWD | 76 kWh | 410 km | — | $100,300 | Fixed roof, lightest and most compact Z, 250L boot |
| Spider | 1,582 hp | 1,240 Nm | 2.3s | 300 km/h | AWD | 76 kWh | 400 km | — | $115,100 | Power-retractable roof in multiple colors, reduced 131-176L boot |
| Racing | 1,582 hp | 1,240 Nm | 1.96s (semi-slick) / 2.25s (standard) | 350 km/h (semi-slick) / 300 km/h (standard) | AWD | 76 kWh | 380 km | — | $174,100 | Fixed rear wing, wider track, coil-spring suspension, optional roll cage and semi-slick tyres |
Pricing & Availability
DENZA opened Z pre-sales in China first, at 680,000 yuan (about $100,300) for the Coupe, 780,000 yuan (about $115,100) for the Spider, and 1.18 million yuan (about $174,100) for the Racing, according to CarNewsChina and CnEVPost, both reporting on July 13, 2026. Five days earlier, DENZA had already opened UK order books at £142,900 for the Coupe, £159,900 for the Spider, and £172,900 for the Racing — roughly 40% higher than the domestic China price once converted, reflecting import duties and European market positioning. Coupe, Spider and Racing versions are open to order this summer in selected markets, with first deliveries expected before the end of 2026. A limited-run Special Edition Racing model, targeting over 2,000 PS and a sub-1.7-second 0-100 km/h time, will undergo further development ahead of a Nurburgring Nordschleife lap-record attempt this autumn; DENZA has not published pricing or a build count for that variant, so treat those figures as a development target rather than a confirmed production spec.
How It Compares
Within our own catalog, the Z has no direct same-segment rival — it is DENZA's first dedicated two-door supercar — so the closest matchups are other high-output electric performance cars we already cover. The Hyptec SSR out-prices the Z by roughly $16,000 yet delivers 357 hp less, making the Z the harder-hitting car per dollar. The Lotus Emeya sits closer in price to the Z Coupe but trades nearly 700 hp for a longer 485 km range, positioning it as more of a fast luxury sedan than a track weapon. Inside DENZA's own lineup, the Z9 GT shooting brake remains the practical, family-friendly flagship at less than a third of the Z Racing's price, underlining just how far upmarket the Z pushes the brand. None of these are perfect segment twins for a car this specialized, but together they show the Z undercutting rivals on power-per-dollar while accepting a shorter range in exchange for genuine supercar acceleration.
- 1,582 hp and a 1.96-second 0-100 km/h time (Racing, semi-slick) for a fraction of rival hypercar pricing
- FLASH Charging replenishes 10-97% in 9 minutes, largely neutralizing the modest 76 kWh battery's range limitation
- Three distinct body styles (Coupe, Spider, Racing) with extensive personalization, from paint to caliper color
- 410 km WLTP range at best is short next to non-performance EVs at similar money
- Driver-assistance suite is a basic L2 set, without the LiDAR-based ADAS DENZA offers on its SUVs
The DENZA Z is a genuinely credible first attempt at an electric supercar from a brand that, until now, was best known for family SUVs and shooting brakes. The numbers back up the ambition: 1,582 hp, sub-2-second 0-100 sprints, and 9-minute top-ups are hypercar-tier figures at a price that undercuts most gasoline and electric rivals by a wide margin. The trade-off is range — 380-410 km WLTP is short for the money once you're not driving flat-out — and a driver-assistance suite that stays deliberately basic rather than chasing the semi-autonomous features DENZA fits elsewhere. For a buyer who wants outright performance and daily-usable fast charging over long-distance comfort, the Z is one of the most interesting new entrants in the electric performance space this year.
