China’s BYD backed premium brand Denza has pulled the wraps off a machine that reads more like a dream than a production car. The Denza Z, revealed to the public at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed, is a fully electric grand tourer built to go toe to toe with the Porsche 911, Mercedes AMG GT and Maserati GranTurismo. Given the numbers involved, “toe to toe” might be underselling it.
Three Flavours, One Formula
Buyers will get to choose between a hard top Coupe, an open air Spider, and a stripped back Racing variant. All three share the same tri motor setup, a single motor at the front paired with twin units at the rear, producing a combined 1,583 hp (1,180 kW). That output puts it in the same bracket as the Bugatti Chiron, a genuinely absurd comparison for what is technically a four seat GT car.
Torque checks in at 1,240 Nm (914.7 lb-ft), enough to fire the Coupe from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 2.25 seconds, hit 200 km/h (124 mph) in 6.36 seconds, and max out at 299 km/h (186 mph).
The Spider trails only slightly behind, as does the standard Racing model. Fit the optional semi slick tyres to the Racing, though, and things get properly silly. Denza claims a 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint of just 1.96 seconds, with top speed climbing to 349 km/h (217 mph).
An Even Wilder Version Is Coming
As if the standard lineup wasn’t extreme enough, Denza has confirmed a limited run special edition packing over 2,000 hp (1,491 kW), built specifically to chase lap records around the Nürburgring Nordschleife later this year. The claimed 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) time drops below 1.7 seconds, which would rank it among the fastest accelerating road cars on the planet.
Charging and Range
Power comes from a 76kWh battery good for up to 254 miles (409 km) of range. Denza says a 10 to 97 percent top up takes roughly nine minutes, though that figure only applies when hooked up to one of BYD’s new 1,500 kW Flash Charging stations, hardware that is still extremely rare outside China.
Chassis and Braking
According to Daniel Cabanillas, Denza’s head of product for Europe, the Z has been specifically tuned for European roads and dialled in for both daily driving and track work. Underpinning that claim is DiSus M, an intelligent magnetorheological body control system that works in a similar fashion to the setup found on the latest Chevrolet Corvette, designed to keep body roll in check through fast corners.
The Coupe and Spider pair this system with adaptive air suspension, while the track focused Racing swaps in simpler, lighter coil springs. Stopping duties fall to carbon ceramic brakes, with six piston calipers doing the work up front.
Design Language
There’s no mistaking the Z for a conventional four seat GT. Its low, sharp nose, short bonnet and cab forward stance give it far more supercar presence than its rear seats would suggest. Look closely and you’ll spot influences from Lotus and McLaren, with a dash of Maserati and even a hint of Lamborghini in the proportions.
That’s not entirely coincidental. Wolfgang Egger, the designer responsible for shaping the Z’s European appeal, previously held chief design roles at SEAT, Alfa Romeo, Audi and Lamborghini, and is the man behind the iconic Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.
Up front, an S Duct borrowed in spirit from the Ferrari F80 hypercar channels air through the nose and out through the bonnet, boosting downforce. Combined with the rest of the car’s aero package, Denza claims the Z produces up to 1,060 kg of downforce at top speed. The upcoming record chasing special edition goes further still, adding carbon fibre body panels to save weight alongside more aggressive aero that Denza says will generate over 2,000 kg of downforce at 299 km/h (186 mph).
Interior and Practicality
Inside, the Z doesn’t quite match the perceived quality of its European rivals, but it’s far from bare bones. An 8.8 inch driver display sits alongside a 12.8 inch central touchscreen running Google Maps and other built in services. A theatre grade sound system from French audio specialist Devialet handles a virtual engine soundtrack, one that hasn’t yet been heard publicly.
Those rear seats are best reserved for small children or weekend luggage, but the boot itself is a genuinely useful 250 litres, roughly double what you’d get in a Porsche 911. Fold the rear seats down and that expands to 550 litres. The Spider sacrifices some space for its folding roof, offering between 131 and 176 litres, putting it roughly in line with the Maserati GranCabrio.
The Racing variant ditches practicality altogether, with buyers able to swap the rear seats for a roll cage and carbon fibre trim.
Pricing and Availability
The Denza Z goes on sale later this year with pricing in the UK starting from £142,900 (approximately R3,105,217) for the Coupe, £159,900 (approximately R3,474,627) for the Spider, and £172,900 (approximately R3,757,117) for the range topping Racing model.
Put that into perspective and you’ve got a car with more than double the power of a Porsche 911 Turbo S, yet priced up to £56,000 (approximately R1,216,880) less.
