Is the first supercar from the Huawei ecosystem here? The two-door Zhijie sports car has been exposed, heralding the arrival of the era of domestic supercars.

Will supercars become the next ace of domestic cars?

According to a revelation on Weibo by @SugarDesign, the Zhijie brand is planning to launch a two - door, four - seat all - electric coupe, and it is currently in the stage of user demand research. This project has appeared in Chery Group's new car research document for 2025, clearly including the "user demand for two - door, four - seat sports cars" in the product planning.

Image source: Weibo @SugarDesign

Coincidentally, recently, a set of spy photos of a two - door sports car under BYD during road tests have emerged online. It is said that this car will be under the Denza brand, and it is expected to launch both hard - top and convertible versions. It may succeed Denza's existing D, N, and Z series and start a new product sequence code.

Image source: BYD Fans' Home

Even Great Wall Motors, which has been deeply involved in SUVs, has exposed its supercar project. At a live broadcast at the beginning of this year, when Wei Jianjun was asked "whether to build a sports car", Wei Jianjun replied, "We'll do sports cars, the authentic ones. Just wait and see." Then he was interrupted by his assistant on the grounds of "revealing too much information".

All signs indicate that domestic electric cars are attacking the last fortress of fuel - powered cars - supercars.

Building electric supercars is more difficult than expected

The globally well - known automotive review program Top Gear once believed that whether people accept it or not, the wave of electrification has inevitably swept across the supercar field. In the next few years, any brand that adheres to pure internal combustion engine power may find it difficult to stay out of the storm.

Traditional supercar brands, as the top of the fuel - powered car ecosystem, have always maintained an "easy - going" attitude with their noble brand image, profound manufacturing heritage, and multi - million - dollar price tags. Although they are not high - volume products, they never lack fans, and their iteration rhythm is often leisurely, as if they are "irreplaceable".

However, the reality is that many supercar companies have changed hands due to operating pressure.

Facing the electrification transformation, supercar brands have carried out various attempts. The Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale combines a powerful 4.0 - liter V8 engine with a three - motor hybrid system, making it the fastest mass - produced sports car of Ferrari at present. The Acura NSX, known as the national treasure of Japan, also uses a mid - mounted VTEC V6 engine combined with a dual - motor hybrid system (SH - AWD). The NSX is not only a technological benchmark itself, but the hybrid concept it carries also indicates the direction of Acura's future new cars - the cutting - edge technologies of supercars will eventually be applied to mainstream models.

Image source: Ferrari

In the all - electric field, Lamborghini has been relatively cautious. Although its all - electric concept cars Mission X and Lanzador have been unveiled, the mass - produced versions still need to wait for three to five years. The new energy market is changing rapidly. This three - to five - year window period is enough to reshape the landscape. Whether Lamborghini and Ferrari can maintain their "lofty" status at that time remains unknown.

Supercars have always been the vane and peak of automotive technology. Their electrification transformation means that the standards of core technologies such as aerodynamics and powertrain are pushed to a new height. The advancement and maturity of electric technology will be ultimately tested under the extreme working conditions faced by supercars.

Therefore, the technical threshold of all - electric supercars is much higher than that of regular new energy vehicles and even regular fuel - powered sports cars. It requires a top - notch three - electric system: not only a high - power electric drive system as the basis, but also a high - performance power battery that can meet the ultra - high - power discharge requirements. High cost, long cycle, huge investment, and high dependence on a mature industrial chain are its inevitable characteristics. Without such a high - performance three - electric platform, it is impossible to reach the technical specifications of fuel - powered supercars, and all - electric supercars are out of the question.

Image source: Lamborghini

In the long run, new energy supercars are not only a product but also the ultimate declaration of a brand's technical strength.

This profound electrification transformation is forcing traditional powerhouses in the supercar field to accelerate self - innovation. A key change that is very different from the past is that China, with its deep accumulation in three - electric technology, supply chain integration, and intelligent fields, is no longer just a bystander but a crucial participant deeply involved in this top - level technological competition.

BYD and others have always had a supercar dream

The sports car dream of Chinese car companies has been full of thorns along the way.

As early as 2001, Geely's Meirenbao debuted with the halo of "China's first sports car", but it ended up as a laughingstock. With backward technology and mediocre design, it was almost useless except for a bluffing shell. Most of the attempts of other self - owned brands also ended in a hurry, like shooting stars passing by in an instant.

In 2006, BYD launched its first hard - top convertible sports car, the S8, which used an electronically controlled two - stage folding hard top that could open and close in just 25 seconds. In 2009, this domestic sports car with a body size of 4490/2020/1405mm amazed the public for a while, but it failed to open up the market.

If the top two players in the Chinese auto market are like this, let alone other car companies. In the final analysis, technology is an insurmountable hurdle. The failure in technology led to a lack of confidence, and for a period of time, Chinese supercars almost disappeared.

In 2008, Tesla launched its first car, the Roadster, a two - door electric sports car. A group of new Chinese car - building companies got inspiration from it, and domestic sports cars such as the FFZero1 and the Qiantu K50 were unveiled one after another. At this stage, new brands built sports cars to tell stories and increase exposure, and most of them only remained at the concept car stage.

But the wave of electrification has finally allowed Chinese supercars to seize the reins of dawn.

In 2024, BYD returned to the sports car market with the Yangwang U9. The starting price of 1.68 million yuan demonstrated its technical strength, and the e - Quad technology became popular overseas. Immediately afterwards, the new sports car version of the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra is expected to have a starting price of only more than 500,000 yuan. It became the fastest mass - produced electric car in the history of the Nürburgring with a time of 7 minutes, 04 seconds, and 957 milliseconds, reaching the peak as soon as it was launched. The cooperation between Yangwang and Xiaomi, one setting a technical benchmark through high - end products and the other making the performance dream accessible through low prices, has reignited the supercar dream of Chinese cars.

Image source: Yangwang

Especially the potential of the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra to receive over 10,000 orders in 10 minutes has made many car companies see the possibility of domestic sports cars, and they have put their sports car plans in a new folder.

Undoubtedly, a price of around 500,000 yuan is the comfort zone for domestic supercars. For the rich, spending 500,000 yuan on a toy and a social currency is not expensive. For ordinary people, 500,000 yuan is also within reach if they grit their teeth. The supercars to be launched next should not exceed this price range.

The pricing of the Zhijie sports car is still unknown, but considering the positioning of the Zhijie brand, the price cannot be too high. As for the Denza sports car, it can basically be determined that the price will also be around 500,000 yuan. The basis is that at the Shanghai Auto Show in April, Denza displayed a concept sports car. I interviewed the on - site staff at that time and estimated the price to be around 500,000 yuan. The staff's reply was: "That's a rather high estimate." This shows that in the minds of internal staff, the Denza sports car is an affordable sports car, and it may even be priced below 500,000 yuan.

Why has the supercar become a carnival for new forces?

Whenever self - owned brands mention supercars, they will surely talk about "responsibility".

Zhang Yong, the then CEO of Nezha Automobile, once said when launching the Nezha GT, "I think this is the last area for Chinese car companies to launch an attack. I hope that through our efforts, we can bring down the price of sports cars."

Similarly, Lei Jun also expressed similar feelings at the Xiaomi Auto press conference: "(Xiaomi Auto) is designed for those who are always at the forefront of the times, and more for those who are busy with daily necessities but have stars and the sea in their hearts."

Same low price, similar feelings. Putting aside these grand visions for now, let's return to the business logic: Why do supercars, which require high investment, high risk, have low sales volume and low output, become the new favorite of new energy car companies?

Image source: Xiaomi Auto

Supercars have always been the symbol of the technological peak of the automotive industry. Building an all - electric supercar with ultimate performance, leading technology, and high - level intelligence is the ultimate test and concentrated presentation of the comprehensive technical strength of new energy car companies.

It is not only the flagship of a single model but also the top of the entire enterprise's technology pyramid. In the process of pouring top - notch resources into design, R & D, manufacturing, and testing, and overcoming difficulties in core systems from aerodynamics to high - performance power units, the massive data and valuable experience accumulated will directly feed back into the R & D and production of household cars, driving the technological upgrading of the entire product line.

BYD has reduced the e - Quad and Yunlian A core technologies of the Yangwang and applied them to high - volume models, directly differentiating itself from competitors. Moreover, with the endorsement of the million - yuan supercar, ordinary users can understand the power of these technologies even without actual experience.

Even if it cannot feed back into other models, from a brand perspective, supercars are still an unparalleled brand amplifier, and their symbolic meaning far exceeds that of ordinary household cars.

As the highest crystallization of a car company's craftsmanship and technology, a successful supercar is a shining "technology business card" that can strongly attract the attention of the market and consumers. Every time there is a shocking release or a new track record is set, those dazzling data will become the focus of the media and trigger extensive reports.

Image source: BYD Yangwang

This high - intensity exposure naturally benefits other models under the brand. For example, the launch of the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra successfully increased the number of customers visiting Xiaomi stores. Official data shows that after the launch of the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, the average number of customers in all stores increased by 80% to 100%, and even the orders for the ordinary version of the SU7 increased by 10% month - on - month.

Of course, car companies need supercars for endorsement, and today's new energy market also needs a supercar to break through the homogenization dilemma.

In the current new energy market, especially in the mainstream household car field, the phenomenon of similar designs and configurations is becoming increasingly serious. Among the hundreds of new cars launched year after year, household SUVs dominate.

This is not to deny the value of SUVs, but just like children educated under the exam - oriented education system, today's cars all look the same. Quality education is more conducive to inspiring innovation. The interesting and most attractive part of a car has always been its personality attributes beyond being a basic means of transportation. Whether it can be used on the race track, for off - roading, or just has a cool appearance, these are all important reasons for people to own it.

As the new energy competition enters the stock stage, the market urgently needs benchmark products that are more novel and can arouse consumers' enthusiasm. Supercars are just such a powerful injection to break the dullness, show personality, and lead the brand to move up. In the new energy era, Chinese brands have the ability to define the "speed and passion" of the new energy era on the highest arena of the global automotive industry and finally capture that once - seemingly