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The DENZA Z supercar, with 1604PS of power and 0-62mph acceleration in as little as 1.96 seconds, is priced from £142,900. This is £327,000 less than the Ferrari Luce, which costs from around £470,000 in the UK.
The DENZA Z supercar is available in three forms: Coupe, from £142,900; Spider, from £159,900; and Racing, from £172,900.
DENZA is the premium technology-oriented automotive brand of the BYD Group.
All variants of the DENZA Z supercar offer a triple-motor configuration – one mounted on the front axle, two at the rear – for a total output of 1604PS. This enables a 0-62mph time of 2.25 seconds in the Coupe, 2.3 seconds in the Spider, and as little as 1.96 seconds in the Racing, when equipped with optional semi-slick tyres. In this configuration, the Racing is capable of a maximum speed of 217mph.
FLASH Charging capability enables a 10%-70% charge in only five minutes.
Despite its compact dimensions, the Z has a wheelbase measuring 2,780mm – close to that of many executive saloons. This allows all versions to have a four-seat layout, offering a unique level of flexibility for vehicles with their performance. The boot capacity in the Coupe and Racing is 250 litres – enough for light luggage – and the rear seats can be folded down to increase this to 550 litres.
Personalisation options for the Racing will include the possibility to remove the rear seats altogether and replace them with a roll cage and carbon-fibre trim.
The Z Special Edition features race-grade dual-layer composite bodywork, including panels made completely from carbon fibre. It also has a drag-reduction system that coordinates a front active diffuser and a rear wing flap to cut drag by up to 40%, while producing more than 2000kg of downforce at 186mph.
Beneath the Z’s bodywork lies the e3 (‘e-cube’) Sports Car Platform. It brings several class-leading and unique functions, based on these core technologies:
1) The world’s first intelligent triple-motor torque control system purpose built for the race track
2) Cell-to-Body (CTB) battery-body integration
3) DiSus-M magnetorheological suspension
4) FLASH Charging and 2nd Generation Blade Battery
All three versions of the Z feature a triple-motor configuration, with a single front motor plus one motor driving each of the rear wheels. The combined maximum system output for all versions of the car is 1,604PS and 1,240Nm of torque. That’s enough for a 0-62mph acceleration time of just 2.25 seconds in the Coupe and a top speed of 186mph.
When fitted with optional semi-slick tyres, the Racing version will accelerate even more quickly, beating the two-second mark for 0-62mph, at just 1.96sec, and achieving a higher top speed of 217mph.
The Z Special Edition features track-grade enhanced thermal management, with the powertrain and battery cooling rates increased by 180% and 30% respectively. Its total system power is over 2,000PS, and it can accelerate from 0-62mph in less than 1.7 seconds.
The twin rear motors are key components of the world’s first 15-in-1 fully integrated electric-drive unit.
Vehicle Motion Control (VMC) acts as a vehicle control hub, taking command of all the controllable actuators of the car – braking, suspension and steering. It then uses an industry-leading signal-transmission time of as little as 10 milliseconds to provide faster, more accurate and more comprehensive control of the car’s motion.
The system’s high level of integration is space efficient and it also speeds up response times, allowing several key dynamic functions. These include a Tyre Burst Control System, where the car recognises the incident and responds in milliseconds to adjust the torque of the unaffected tyres and the dynamic distribution of power. This enhances vehicle stability, while assistance systems also intervene to reduce vehicle yawing.
The world’s first three-motor intelligent torque control system designed specifically for the racetrack means the Z can perform a ‘compass turn’, where the car can use its front wheels as an axis and revolve its rear wheels around it.
The Z also marks the first use of DiSus-M intelligent damping in the e3 Sports Car Platform. This active system uses a magnetorheological fluid in its dampers that can change viscosity in milliseconds when exposed to a magnetic field. This, in turn, allows the Z’s control system to make ultra-fast adjustments to the rebound and compression damping.
The result is that the Z’s suspension layout – double wishbones at the front, multi-link at the rear – can remain compliant on broken surfaces, while still offering assured body control in high-performance situations. The Coupe and Spider versions of the car feature air suspension, while the Racing has coil springs for a more track-focused experience.
All DENZA Z versions feature carbon-ceramic drilled brake discs for reduced unsprung mass (around 30kg saved in total), improved cooling performance and increased durability (up to 186,000 miles of service life).
Regardless of version, the Z’s 2nd Generation Blade Battery has a capacity of 76kWh, enough for 254 miles of range in the Coupe, 248 miles in the Spider, and 236 miles in the Racing. It’s integrated into the e3 Sports Car Platform using a Cell-to-Body architecture (CTB), a technology pioneered by BYD that removes the additional complexity of battery packs and modules. In CTB, the Blade Battery cells are positioned directly into the chassis, with the passenger-compartment floor acting as their top cover.
This type of installation brings benefits in packaging – it’s up to 20% more space-efficient than a traditional Cell-to-Pack configuration – as well as safety and strength. It also contributes to the excellent torsional stiffness of the Z’s steel-aluminium body – more than 40,000Nm per degree.
The 2nd Generation Blade Battery also allows the Z to benefit from BYD Group’s latest breakthrough: FLASH Charging, which delivers up to 1,500kW through a single connector, allowing refill times that match the refuelling speeds of conventional combustion-engined cars.
The system can take the Z from 10%-70% of battery capacity (‘ready’) in only five minutes, and from 10%-97% (‘full’) in just nine minutes.
A virtual sound can be activated through a button on the fascia and customised within the infotainment system, with two levels of volume adjustment and the ability to output the sound to the cabin only, the exterior only, or to both. Different sound characteristics can also be chosen, including a conventional engine note or an effect inspired by sci-fi.
Boost mode is controlled by a button on the Z’s steering wheel. It amplifies throttle torque by 30% for 20 seconds – and while it’s activated, the instrument cluster and touchscreen are modified to reflect the additional performance.
Track mode, again activated through a steering-wheel button, includes a suite of dynamic settings that allow the driver to set their Z up for their precise requirements, either as a novice or a track expert. These include a straight-line acceleration function with launch control, and a drift setting that adjusts the power distribution between the front and rear to allow controllable lateral slip. Drifting can also be activated through a one-touch function, which uses the torque control and power steering to achieve fun drifts without driver needing to adjust the steering or accelerator inputs.
For those who want to hone their Z’s settings to their precise individual tastes, the Track app offers three custom profiles. The parameters that can be adjusted and stored include front/rear power distribution, traction control, brake-energy regeneration, DiSus-M damping, brake assist, torque vectoring, anti-lock brakes and vehicle dynamic control.
All versions of the Z come with a comprehensive standard equipment list including features such as the digital instrument panel and infotainment screen, heated and ventilated front seats with massage function, power-assisted soft-closing doors, Vehicle-to-Load (V2L), digital rear-view mirror, Devialet sound system with Dolby Atmos, wireless smartphone charging and remote access via the DENZA app.
The Z is being offered in a choice of 10 exterior colours, ranging from Le Mans Blue and Silverstone Silver through optional Nocturne (purple) and Riviera Blue to premium optional Phantom Black Matte, Monaco Red and Monte Carlo Orange.
Following its appearance on the DENZA stand at Goodwood, the Z Special Edition will undergo additional development assessment ahead of lap-record attempts at the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife in the autumn.
The Coupe, Spider and Racing versions of the Z will be available order this summer in selected markets, including the UK, with first deliveries expected to reach customers before the end of the year.
