Denza Z in Shanghai – electric sports car concept with magnetic dampers; Porsche rival with over 1,100 PS?

At the ongoing Auto Shanghai 2025 show, Denza revealed a new sports car concept called the Z. With this, owner BYD now has two high-performance coupé models, the other being the Yangwang U9.

Resplendent in Opal Blue and yellow, the Z is exceedingly sleek, with a low nose, voluptuous curves and a sweeping, low-slung roofline. Details include an aggressive front splitter, sweptback headlights, an upswept window line, a black roof and diamond-shaped quad taillights. A massive rear wing and diffuser and Mercedes-AMG One-style 21-inch multi-spoke centre-lock wheels complete the look.

Inside, the Z is a pure flight of fancy, coming with a Formula 1-style button-heavy steering wheel that can apparently be retracted into the dashboard when the car is in self-driving mode. That’s thanks to an in-house-developed steer-by-wire system that Denza says is the first in China.

Other features include no less than three screens (including one for the front passenger), a floating centre console, carbon fibre bucket seats with harnesses and a rear half cage. Despite the latter, the roofline that stretches a long way back does hint that the production model could be a four-seater.

The Z debuts a new DiSus-M body control suspension that uses magnetorheological dampers to adjust damping force in milliseconds, Denza claims. Performance specs have yet to be released, but we can expect the car to use BYD’s new electric motors that can reach up to 30,511 rpm, as Car News China reports.

These motors have been installed in cars like the new Han L and are capable of pushing up to 789 PS (580 kW) and 450 Nm of torque from just one motor. On the Han L, this is paired with a front motor pushing 313 PS (230 kW) and 410 Nm for a stonking total output of 1,101 PS (810 kW) and 860 Nm.

Given BYD’s latent ambition and the fact that it is no longer a stranger to producing sports cars, the Denza Z should enter production in a slightly less extreme form in the near future, likely competing with cars like Porsche’s forthcoming electric 718 Boxster and Cayman. Pricing has yet to be revealed, of course, but Car News China expects it to retail above 300,000 yuan (RM178,300).

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