BYD has revealed a new model from its premium-oriented DENZA brand at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, a fully-electric supercar with a whopping 1,582 horsepower on tap. While the convertible spider variant of the DENZA Z was already revealed earlier this year at Beijing Auto Show, the reveal at Goodwood now brings a hardtop coupe and a racing-focused variant to the table, whilst also confirming that the DENZA Z will soon be available across Europe.
No matter which variant a buyer chooses, the DENZA Z offers 1,582 horsepower from a triple-motor setup, allowing for a 0-62mph of just over 2 seconds. For the ‘Racing’ variant, which is equipped with semi-slick tyres, that 0-62mph sprint drops to only 1.96 seconds – whilst also allowing a top speed of 217mph. This will cement it as one of the fastest electric sports cars on the market.
The Z sits on DENZA’s sports car platform, which brings steer-by-wire, magnetic dampers and cell-to-body battery integration. Every version uses a 76kWh second-generation Blade Battery compatible with BYD’s FLASH Charging technology, allowing a 10 to 97 per cent charge in just nine minutes on a suitable 1,500kW charger. Range is the trade-off, at around 254 miles WLTP for the Coupe. Notably, the Z is also a four-seater despite its shape, with a 2.7 metre wheelbase making it unusually accommodating for a supercar shape.
UK pricing for the trio of variants has also been confirmed. The hardtop ‘Coupe’ will start at £142,900, while the convertible and racing variants will start at £159,900 and £172,900 respectively. There’s no direct comparison to the DENZA Z given the notable lack of two-door electric supercars on the market, but its price can be compared to fast EVs such as the £162,200 Porsche Taycan Turbo S and the newly revealed £159,870 AMG GT 63 4-Door Coupe. However, these two models offer bags more practicality than the supercar-size DENZA Z. At the other end of the spectrum, with the Ferrari Luce expected to start at well over £450,000, the DENZA Z – on paper, at least – seems to make a whole lot more sense for an head-turning electric supercar…
