Denza just built a Chinese Porsche 911 rival that has nearly 1,000hp, can crab walk into spaces and is James Bond approved
Published on Mar 26, 2026 at 8:56 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Mar 26, 2026 at 9:13 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
The Porsche 911 is easily a great sports car, but it could be set to have stiff competition from China, with a new car coming from Denza that even has James Bond approval.
While that might be a new name to some, it is actually the premium division of BYD, one of the current big names in the world of electric cars.
This car also originally began as a joint venture with Mercedes, but now it’s finally been shown off as a solely BYD venture.
It might be the new kid on the block, but this car has already had the seal of approval from a former James Bond.
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How Denza has the Porsche 911 in its sights
We had an early glimpse of the new sports car in April 2025, thanks to the Z Concept that Denza showed off.
But what we have now is the full production version.
This is set to make its public debut at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK.
There is no denying the performance credentials of the upcoming sports car.
Called the Z, it is a fully-electric vehicle with three motors and a 100kWh battery.
In total, it produces 952hp, far more than any Porsche 911 currently does.
Currently, the most powerful Porsche 911 that money can buy is the 2026 911 Turbo S with a hybrid-turbo flat-six.
This has 701hp and 590lb-ft of torque, and is the most powerful 911 in history.
Yet even it falls short of the new Denza Z.
The new electric sports car is James Bond-approved
Front and center of the launch campaign of the new car was former James Bond, Daniel Craig.
Craig has appeared in some of the marketing for the company, including with the Z9 GT as well.
The James Bond actor helped to launch the premium brand in Europe in March 2026.
With so much power and such clean looks, the Z looks like the perfect car for 007.
Not only that, but it’s as advanced a car for a spy as it should be.
For example, the electric sports car has magnetorheological suspension and steer-by-wire.
It should also have more innovative features, such as the crab-walk seen in the Z9 GT, and its parking space drift.
A crab-walk car might have been useful for Craig’s Bond in some of his films.
All being well, the EV sports will make its debut in the summer of 2026.
A history of the Denza brand
2010: Founded as a 50-50 joint venture between BYD and Mercedes-Benz
2012: The Denza brand name and its first electric concept car are officially introduced
2014: The brand’s first production model goes on sale in the Chinese market
2019: The Denza X SUV is launched, featuring design input from Mercedes-Benz
2021: BYD takes a 90 percent majority stake in the brand following a corporate restructuring
2022: The Denza D9 minivan debuts as the first new model under BYD’s primary control
2024: Mercedes-Benz completely exits the joint venture to give BYD 100 percent ownership
2025: Denza makes its official European debut with the launch of the Z9 GT
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Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a heritage steam railway.
