BYD’s new Denza Z supercar is ready to take on all comers, especially high-performance battery-electric vehicles like the Ferrari Luce. But if you’re looking to buy one you’re out of luck – at least if you live in the U.S. It’s one of a growing list of high-performance Chinese EVs effectively barred from the American market. Headlight.News has more.
The BYD Denza Z will be offered in three distinct trims.
Sure, Chinese automakers like BYD have developed a global reputation for delivering cheap, yet surprisingly well-equipped EVs. But the Shenzhen-based automaker’s latest offering appears to live up to the brand’s full name, “Build Your Dreams.”
The Denza Z is a sleek and aggressive new entry that is ready to give challenge to some of the world’s most exotic supercars, notably including the new, all-electric Ferrari Luce. Making its debut at this week’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, its three-motor drivetrain makes a neck-snapping 1,582 horsepower in its most benign trim. But it’s not only quick off the line, BYD claiming the new model is capable of getting a full charge in less than 10 minutes.
Actually, BYD continues to deliver unexpected bargains, the coupe version of the Denza Z starting at just $192,000 – barely one-third of the $640,000 Ferrari is demanding for its first all-electric model.
What’s New
The “base” Denza Z starts out at 1,582 hp.
China’s BYD was the world’s best-selling EV manufacturer during the first half of 2026, handily beating out Tesla. It has also managed to deliver the sort of high-performance battery-electric supercar that Tesla is still struggling to bring to market in the form of its second-generation Roadster.
The Denza Z will be offered in a variety of different configurations, including a coupe and a convertible – both measuring 188.4 inches nose-to-tail, with a 77.8-inch width, and a wheelbase of 109.4 inches. The hardtop stands 52.4 inches in height, the Spider adding another 0.7 inches. The Denza Z Racing model, meanwhile, is roughly four inches longer. The various packages range in weight from 4,916 to 5,071 pounds, much of that for the battery pack.
In its Racing configuration the BYD supercar delivers nearly 2,000 horsepower. Range is far from benchmark, running anywhere from 236 to 255 miles per charge, depending upon the model. But the ultra-fast charging speed is something worth taking notice of.
What’s a Denza Z
All Denza Z models feature these diamond-style taillights. The Racing package adds a rear spoiler.
At first glance, you might not realize this Chinese supercar is all-electric, what with larger scoops under the front bumper and additional vents on the hood. You need a lot of cooling air when you’re delivering these sorts of numbers, both for the triple-motor arrangement and the battery pack – never mind the onboard power electronics. The Racing package is equipped with even larger air intakes.
The steeply raked front headlamps are countered in the rear by diamond-shaped taillights. That track-ready package can be outfitted with a large and adjustable carbon-fiber rear wing as part of an aero package making as much as 2,337 pounds of downforce.
A Special Edition package adopts a lightweight composite body, while adding wing flaps and an active front diffuser. That boosts downforce to a peak 4,409 lbs.
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Interior
Denza Z’s high-tech interior.
Denza features a high-tech interior with an 8.9-inch digital gauge cluster and a 12.8-inch infotainment screen. There are the requisite features, such as a wireless smartphone charger. The steering wheel, meanwhile, features quick-to-engage buttons for things like Track mode.
There’s a surprising amount of trunk space in this 2+2, all things considered, at 8.8 cubic feet. Fold the marginally useful rear seats and that expands to 19.4 cf.
You can opt to leave out the rear seats out with the Racing model, and add a roll cage.
Powertrain
Denza’s seats feature heavy bolstering for track use.
Denza Z features a tri-motor layout, with two powering the back axle and yielding electronic torque vectoring as well as all-wheel-drive. The rear motors can spin up to a blinding 30,000 RPMs and, when you add it all up, even the “base” model musters a stunning 1,582 hp – enough to launch from 0-100 kmh (0-60 mph) in 2.5 seconds.
The Racing model takes things to an even wilder extreme, at 1,971 hp – though torque for all packages remains a still-impressive 914 lb-ft. The track package is said to cut launch times down to 1.76 seconds.
All versions rely on a 76.4-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. That will power the Coupe for an estimated 255 miles, the Spider dipping to 249 miles and the Racing package getting 236 miles per charge. But here’s where things get particularly impressive. Denza Z features BYD’s new ultra-fast charging system which, it claims, can go from a 10% to 97% state-of-charge in as little as nine minutes. That does require the use of new ultra-high-power chargers which aren’t commonly available, however.
Pricing and availability
By supercar standards, at least, the BYD Denza is downright affordable, starting at the equivalent of $192,000 for the Coupe, $215,000 for the Spider and 232,000 for the Racing trim. By comparison, the Ferrari Luce starts at $640,000 in the U.S.
The bigger difference: you’ll be able to purchase a Luce in the States, deliveries slated to begin during the second quarter of 2027. For now, at least, there are no plans to import BYD products to the U.S. considering the Trump administration’s tariffs of Chinese vehicles would double the base price. That said, BYD hasn’t indicated whether it might bring the supercar into Mexico where it sells plenty of its more plebian products. Canada has also announced a deal that will allow 59,000 Chinese vehicles into the country this year, growing to 75,000 by decade’s end. It hasn’t said what models will be permitted in, however.
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