► New Denza Z coupe, Spider and Racing revealed ► Extreme power output from tri-motor powertrain ► Coming to the UK, priced from £142,900
Denza, the premium brand from the wider BYD group, has given us a proper look at its Z supercar. It’s officially unveiled the new electric sports car at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed , launching it in three variants – a coupe, a Spider convertible and hardcore Racing model – that all come with extreme power outputs.
Denza’s Z is the second car to be officially unveiled by the brand for Europe, following on from the Z9 GT . More models will follow, including the new Denza BAO 5 4×4 and a luxury MPV in the shape of the D9.
But what exactly is Denza, anyway? How does this brand fit in with BYD and Yangwang? ‘We’ve got this three-layer approach,’ says Denza’s head of product, Daniel Cabanillas Barea (above, right) as he walks us around the Z in a secret studio ahead of the car’s Goodwood reveal. ‘BYD is this accessible brand, while Denza sits in the middle of the premium segment, then Yangwang is luxury. There’s always a little bit of overlap between segments, but that’s the logic behind it – we’re not targeting super luxury with Denza, it’s a premium brand like the traditional German ones.’
‘Denza is mainly differentiated from BYD by design and technology,’ Barea tells us. ‘We’d like Denza to be the brand that is bringing new technology that’s then incorporated into the wider group.’ Barea points to the E3 platform that’s underneath this Z as well as the Z9 GT .
The Z’s look is a bit Lotus Emira , a bit McLaren 750S , a bit Maserati MCPura … even a little bit Bentley at the back. It’s been a passion project for Denza’s head of design Wolfgang Egger, who had a long career including stints at Audi and Lamborghini before joining BYD in 2017.
The one you see here is the conventional coupe and it’s not a super aggressive looking thing, but it looks sporty enough with many of the car’s key design elements being neatly hidden into the bodywork. The taillights are very reminiscent of the current Continental GT , and there are discreet elements like a hidden wing that deploys based on speed and a glowing rear badge. Oh, and if you’re interested in the colour on this show car coupe, it’s called Monte Carlo Orange. It’s one of many available for the Z, with this one using yellow aluminium flakes in the paint mix to make it pop in the sun.
The Racing model includes a carbonfibre front splitter, more venting for better air flow and an enormous rear wing that can be adjusted to three different angles. So much so that Denza claims a 50 per cent improvement in e-motor cooling efficiency and a 32 per cent improvement in brake cooling.
Inside, Denza has been careful not to overburden the interior with screens. Much of the focus is on the driver, with a rather complicated steering wheel featuring all sorts of buttons, paddles and toggles to keep the focus on driving. ‘Because this is a driver-oriented car, we really wanted to make sure that you don’t take your attention away from the road,’ says Barea. Other elements even include a fridge in the centre console – something we’ve not seen on a supercar before.
Boost mode, activated by a red button on the steering wheel, increases torque by 30 per cent for 20 seconds. Track mode, activated by a button marked with a checkered flag, changes the dials to show more driving data and exact GPS positioning, and you’re able to extract lap data via external storage devices.
The Z is also a four-seater with the rear seats having the ability to be folded down. We tried sitting in the back seats and they’re only really for children or useful for extra luggage space.
All three Z models develop the same power output: an enormous 1579bhp and 929lb ft, generated from a three-motor powertrain setup and all use a 76kWh second-generation BYD blade battery.
The coupe sprints to 62mph in 2.25 seconds, tops out at 186mph and claims a 257-mile range. The Spider’s performance figures include a 2.3sec 0-62mph time, the same 186mph top speed and a 249-mile range figure. As for the Racing model with its fat rear wing and extra aerodynamic elements, BYD claims a 1.96-second 0-62mph time, a 217mph top speed and a range claim of 236 miles.
On top of that, the Z’s second-gen battery enables the use of BYD’s flash charging technology which claims a 10 to 97 per cent charge done in as little as seven minutes, or between 10 and 70 per cent in 12 minutes at temperatures reaching as low as -30ºC. BYD is busy rolling out its flash chargers across Europe; the first one went live in June 2026, and the aim is to have flash chargers no more than 50km from one another across major motorway routes.
As for performance engineering, the coupe and Spider models run on air suspension, with the Racing model using track-spec coil springs. Coupe and Spider models use Continental tyres, while the Racing uses Pirelli P Zero rubber, while carbon ceramic brakes are included to handle the vast power regardless of what model you choose.
Though Denza says the Z’s party piece is its Disus-M magnetorheological dampers, similar to a MagneRide setup seen in cars like Ford’s latest Mustang or the Polestar 5 .
Denza says the Z will be available to order in Europe later in late summer 2026, with the first customers getting their cars by the end of the year. The coupe, Spider and Racing models are priced from £142,900, £159,900 and £172,900 respectively.
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