BYD already has an electric sports car with the Yangwang U9, and now it has previewed another with the Z concept from its other premium brand, Denza.
It may be labelled a concept car, but the four-seater Denza Z looks quite production-ready.
Denza hasn’t confirmed outputs from the electric powertrain, so it’s unclear how much more grunt it has than the 710kW tri-motor Denza Z9. However, Denza has detailed some of the hardware used by the Z.
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It features DiSus-M, which Denza claims is “the industry’s first intelligent magnetorheological body control system exclusively for new energy vehicles”.
It says this system scans the road thousands of times per seconds and adjusts the suspension continuously in real time.
The Denza Z also features what the brand is calling “China’s first full-stack self-developed steer-by-wire system”, supported by “AI’s deep learning of driving style”.
The system is claimed to be able to adapt and evolve by itself, while also simulating road feedback “in a real way”.
Another intriguing feature is a folding steering wheel, which Denza says can help make it easier to extricate a driver from the vehicle should it be involved in an extreme crash.
The Denza Z looks the business, with headlights and tail-lights that call to mind Lamborghini models, but bulging haunches and graceful curves that are more Ferrari-like.
It’s all topped off with details like an enormous rear wing and vents atop the front fenders, with yellow brake calipers and matching yellow highlights on the wing, side skirts, front apron and rear diffuser.
The proportions are suggestive of a traditional mid-engine sports car.
Inside, there are racy carbon-fibre bucket seats with four-point harnesses, finished in microfibre and leather.
The folding steering wheel is squared-off, while there’s a digital instrument cluster ahead of the driver, a large free-standing infotainment touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard, and a slim tertiary display on the passenger side.
Below the touchscreen is a row of physical buttons, while a sharply angled centre console features some more switchgear plus the gear shifter.
It’s unclear when a production Z will launch.
Denza, previously a joint venture with Mercedes-Benz, offers sports sedans and wagons, people movers, and SUVs in China, with both plug-in hybrid and electric powertrains.
The brand is locked in for a local launch during 2025, and while Denza has yet to confirm which models it’ll sell here, the large Bao 5 off-roader from fellow BYD brand Fangchengbao has been spied testing and the Denza B5 name has been confirmed for other markets.
