Electric hypercars like to bombard us with absurd power and acceleration figures, usually followed by an equally absurd price tag. Denza, a brand owned by BYD, is looking to break that tradition with its new Z model.
It was unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The coupe version will cost around €167.400 in the UK, which is less than the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS (€170.900). The open Spider will be available for €187.300, and the track-tuned Racing for €202.500. For comparison: the new 911 Turbo S costs €233.700. In the domestic Chinese market, prices are of course only a fraction of European prices due to the absence of transport costs and customs duties.
All three versions are based on the new e3 sports platform and share the same powertrain with three electric motors. One drives the front axle, while two independently drive the rear wheels, which together provide an impressive 1.604 horsepower (1.180 kW) and 1.240 Nm of torque. The base coupe sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 2,25 seconds (Porsche quotes 2,5 seconds for the Turbo S), while the Racing version shortens this time to just 1,96 seconds with optional semi-slick tires, while increasing the top speed from 300 to 350 km/h. There is even a Special Edition version in the works with more than 2.000 horsepower and acceleration to 100 km/h in less than 1,7 seconds, with which they intend to attack the record for electric vehicles at the Nürburgring.
Each Denza Z is equipped with a second-generation Blade battery with a capacity of 76 kWh, which supports the latest ultra-fast charging. At the new 1.500-kilowatt chargers, the battery can be charged from 10 to 70 percent in just five minutes, and up to 97 percent in nine minutes, which is already dangerously close to the time of refueling. The range according to the WLTP standard ranges from 380 kilometers for the Racing version to 409 kilometers for the basic coupe, which, with a weight of 2.230 kilograms, is considered the lightest in the offer. The engineers did not forget about the chassis either, as they equipped the car with magnetorheological dampers, carbon-ceramic brakes, a torque vectoring system and even a front-axle steering function on the spot. The wheelbase measures 2.780 millimeters, which, despite the external image of a supercar, allows the installation of four seats, although the rear two are quite tight.
The interior offers the technological luxury typical of modern Chinese travel machines. Standard equipment includes massage seats, a Devialet audio system, a 12,8-inch infotainment screen with Google support and a digital rearview mirror, and the driver can also choose between dedicated racing driving modes and an adaptive virtual engine soundscape. On paper, these specifications are simply fantastic. However, Western buyers of prestigious and high-performance sports cars are not showing much interest in electricity for now, as brands like Porsche and Rimac know well. Buyers in this segment still demand an internal combustion engine, but the Denza's extremely competitive package may tempt many to at least look at what the Chinese alternative has to offer.
