BYD Denza Z9 GT Sold For €700,000 At Cannes

A Denza Z9 GT selling for €700,000 ($814,200) at Cannes was probably not on anyone’s 2026 bingo card. Especially not for a brand that, outside China, many people are still only just learning how to pronounce.

The car is a one-off Denza Z9 GT created by BYD in partnership with Swiss jeweler and watchmaker Chopard. Beneath the custom details, it remains the same flagship Z9 GT sold in China and Europe, but the entire presentation was designed to push it deep into luxury territory. Think less “high-tech EV” and more “rolling jewelry display.”

Inside, the cabin gets covered in bespoke touches. Violet amethyst stones appear around the infotainment display, seat controls, and center console switches, while leather, wood trim, and a 20-speaker Devialet audio system help complete the atmosphere. Chopard logos are stitched throughout the interior, and the project even includes two custom-made watches and a handcrafted luggage set from Shiro.

What makes the whole thing slightly surreal is that underneath all the gemstones and gold accents sits a genuinely serious performance EV. The flagship Z9 GT uses three electric motors producing a combined 1,150 hp, while BYD claims its Blade Battery 2.0 can charge from 10 to 97 percent in just nine minutes using Flash Charging technology. That is hypercar-level charging speed wrapped inside something that also carries custom Swiss watches.

The special edition also marked the European debut of the Z9 GT. In standard form, the car starts at €117,500 ($136,700) in Germany, already far above its Chinese-market pricing of around $39,800. Honestly, the idea of a Chinese electric car commanding this kind of attention at Cannes says a lot about how quickly the industry’s pecking order is changing.