BYD will launch a brand new sports car with Porsche 911-rivalling performance at the Shanghai auto show later this year under its luxury sub-brand Denza, according to CarNewsChina.
Captured in China by Autohome under heavy camouflage, the unnamed, two-door Denza model appears to be well in the development stages, with wheel arches missing and an exposed chassis and powertrain.
Despite the unfinished design, it appears relatively compact, mirroring a design similar to that of the Lotus Emira or MG Cyberster.
CarNewsChina speculates the Denza will be powered by three electric motors, although nothing by the way of powertrain has been confirmed.
If it does in fact meet the 911 on performance, we can expect a zero-100km/h sprint time of between 3.0 and 4.7 seconds, with a power output somewhere between 290kW to 398kW, which is the range between the bottom-spec 911 Carrera and the 911 Targa 4 GT-S T-Hybrid.
CarNewsChina speculates pricing could be as high as 500,000 yuan ($110,080) in China given Denza's more luxury focus, putting it roughly on par with the price of an MG Cyberster in Australia ($115,000, before on-road costs).
Even with a price hike for Australia it is still likely to be well under half the cost of a 911 Carrera, which starts at $279,400, before on-road costs.
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Further details are expected following the model’s reported launch at the Shanghai auto show in April, though we do know that any future Denza model firms as a chance for Australia after BYD’s head of local operations, David Smitherman, confirmed the brand would feature Down Under to CarsGuide.
“Denza will be here at some point … BYD is very keen to bring [more] products to the [Australian] market,” said Smitherman.
It comes as the Denza B5, a boxy new plug-in hybrid SUV designed to rival the Toyota Prado, was spotted testing under camouflage in Sydney.
Both BYD’s Yangwang and Denza sub-brands have already been trademarked in Australia, though an exact timeframe on their respective releases remains under wraps for now.