BYD is turning the electric supercar formula into something with a soft top. The Denza Z convertible EV is a four-seat convertible with more than 1,000 hp, a claimed 0-60 mph sprint of under 2 seconds, and enough tech to make most performance cars look like they’re idling in the left lane.
Shown at the Beijing Auto Show, the Z is aimed squarely at the rarefied end of the EV market, where straight-line speed is table stakes and theater matters almost as much. That puts it in uncomfortable company: Rimac, Lotus, Porsche, and BYD’s own Yangwang brand all now crowd a segment that used to be about badge value more than battery chemistry.
Denza Z performance and hardware
Under the skin, the headline numbers are doing the heavy lifting. The tri-motor setup is paired with BYD’s Blade battery, while the DiSus-M intelligent suspension system can react in less than 10 milliseconds and adjust itself to road conditions. That’s the kind of hardware you want if you’re planning to launch a drop-top at absurd speed and still keep it pointed in the right direction.
- Power: 1,000+ hp tri-motor electric powertrain
- 0-60 mph: less than 2 seconds
- Battery: BYD Blade battery
- Charging: 1,500-kW Flash Charging 2.0, with a full recharge in less than 10 minutes
BYD is also borrowing enthusiast tricks from the Yangwang U9, including drifting and ”tank turning.” That sounds gimmicky until you remember these features are becoming the new way Chinese automakers prove engineering credibility: not with a brochure, but with a car that can embarrass a skid pad.
A convertible with real design work
The styling is less cartoonish than the spec sheet suggests. Wolfgang Josef Egger, who has previously shaped cars for Alfa Romeo and Audi, gave the Z a long-nosed, classic look with angular lighting and a prominent hood scoop for downforce. It has Porsche 718 Boxster energy, except BYD is clearly trying to outgun Porsche rather than copy its playbook.
Europe launch, pricing and the charger rollout
BYD says the Z will debut in Europe, with a global launch at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK this July. It’s still being tested on the Nürburgring, which is the automotive equivalent of a pop quiz for anything claiming to be fast, stable, and expensive.
Pricing remains unannounced, but it should sit above the Z9 GT sedan, which starts at €115,000 (US$134,500). The broader plan matters too: BYD’s 1,500-kW Flash Charging 2.0 infrastructure is rolling out across Europe, with 200-300 chargers slated for the UK this year. That’s the unglamorous part of the story, and probably the one that decides whether this kind of car feels like a tech demo or a real product.
The open question is simple: can BYD sell a battery-powered convertible hypercar outside China at the kind of price that makes sense, or is the Denza Z mostly a neon sign announcing that the company can now build almost anything it wants?