Chinese manufacturer BYD has announced the development of an unprecedented system for its Denza Z sports car, capable of performing drift maneuvers in a fully autonomous manner. The technology allows the vehicle to execute controlled skids without the driver needing to intervene with the pedals or steering wheel, simply by drawing the desired path on the car's central screen.
The feature is available from the factory on versions of the Denza Z equipped with the e³ sports platform, which features three electric motors. To use the function, the driver must trace the shape of the trajectory — such as a circle or a figure-eight — on the car's interface, and the system takes full control of the maneuver to reproduce the indicated drawing.
To enable the movement, the vehicle uses independent control of the rear wheels combined with active rear-axle steering. This combination allows the system to induce and recover tire grip continuously, ensuring precision during loss of traction. The most powerful model in the line delivers 1,582 horsepower, accelerating from 0 to 97 km/h in less than two seconds.
Despite the sporty appeal, BYD highlights that the main goal of the technology is to increase safety. The algorithms that control the drift are capable of monitoring body roll and road grip, and can correct unexpected skids at high speeds faster than a human driver.
The manufacturer issues an important warning regarding the use of the function: the system does not have sensors to avoid obstacles during the execution of the programmed path. For this reason, the recommendation is that the maneuver be performed exclusively on tracks or in closed environments, avoiding collision risks.
The Denza Z is sold in four different formats: sedan, coupe, sports wagon, and a convertible version with a soft top.
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