BYD's Denza Z arrives with 1,582 hp to take the fight to the Porsche 911
China's answer to the 911 has more than double the power
We saw it teased at Goodwood, and now it is real. BYD's premium Denza brand has fully revealed the Z, an electric sports car that does not so much challenge the Porsche 911 as attack it with overwhelming force. How does 1,582 hp, three motors and a stack of Formula 1-grade technology sound, for roughly the price of a well-specced 911?
1,582 hp from three motors
The headline is the power. The Denza Z uses a tri-motor layout, one motor on the front axle and two at the rear, for a combined 1,582 hp and 1,240 Nm of torque. That is more than double the output of a Porsche 911 Turbo S. The Coupe sprints to 100 km/h in 2.25 seconds, and the track-focused Racing variant, on semi-slick tyres, cuts that to a barely believable 1.96 seconds and pushes on to 349 km/h. A special edition with more than 2,000 hp is also promised, chasing a sub-1.7-second sprint.
Battery, range and rapid charging
Underneath sits a 76 kWh Blade Battery 2.0 on an 800-volt architecture, giving up to around 410 km of WLTP range depending on variant, which is modest but in keeping with a focused sports car. The party trick is charging: BYD claims its Flash Charging system can take the battery from 10 to 70% in roughly five minutes, the sort of figure that makes range anxiety almost irrelevant, provided you can find the right charger.
A genuine technology showcase
This is where the Denza Z gets really interesting. It features steer-by-wire, with no mechanical link between wheel and wheels, the clever DiSus-M magnetorheological suspension, carbon-ceramic brakes with six-piston front calipers, and serious aerodynamics generating up to 1,060 kg of downforce, including an F80-style S-duct channelling air over the bonnet. Inside there is an 8.8-inch driver display, a 12.8-inch touchscreen with Google apps and a Devialet audio system with synthesised engine sound. It was penned by Wolfgang Egger, formerly design chief at Audi, Alfa Romeo, SEAT and Lamborghini.
Three shapes, and a killer price
Buyers get three flavours: the Coupe, the open-top Spider and the hardcore, GT3-inspired Racing. Pricing has been confirmed for the UK so far, running from 142,900 pounds for the Coupe to 159,900 for the Spider and 172,900 for the Racing, which works out at roughly 168,000 to 203,000 euro. Crucially, Denza claims that undercuts a comparable Porsche by a huge margin while offering far more power. UK sales are due from summer 2026 with deliveries expected late in the year, and broader European availability is still to be detailed.
AutoNext Take
On paper, the Denza Z is a jaw-dropping statement of intent, and a slightly terrifying one for Europe's established sports car makers. The specification reads like a hypercar for the price of a fast Porsche, and it shows that BYD is not content to build only sensible family EVs. When we first saw it teased at Goodwood, it looked properly menacing, and the production numbers more than back that up.
But we will hold our excitement until we drive it, because a great sports car has never been about power figures alone. The 911 endures because of how it feels, its steering, its balance, its soul, and that is exactly the intangible stuff that no spec sheet can promise. If the Denza Z can back its monster numbers with genuine feel and emotion, Porsche really should be worried. If not, it will be a fascinating, ferociously fast curiosity. Either way, the old order is being challenged like never before.
