In May 2026, Daniel Craig, the former 007 actor who occupies a special place in the hearts of film fans worldwide, drove the Denza Z9 GT in an ad campaign that sparked heated discussion abroad, vividly interpreting the slogan "Technology Drives Elegance".
Even more stunning was the hammer strike of a unique crossover customized vehicle at the Cannes amfAR Charity Gala, the globally unique Denza Z9GT Chopard Edition, which was sold for 700,000 euros (approximately 5.55 million yuan).
When Chinese cars begin to define "elegance" and "scarcity", shouldn't the world update its mindset as well?
At the same time, another piece of news was more influential.
Not long ago, Kantar BrandZ released the global brand value ranking: BYD ranked fifth globally among automotive brands with a brand value of 20.362 billion USD, spiking 41% year-on-year, with the fastest growth for two consecutive years, just a step away from fourth-place Mercedes-Benz.
From the elegance of 007 to the hammer strike at Cannes, and then to the dazzling data of BrandZ, a series of "Global Moments" connected together, outlining a new landscape of the automotive industry led by Chinese brands.
Past: The Sower: That Underrated Decade
The narrative of BYD's "Global Time" must begin with a long decade of sowing.
Time returns to the 2010s, when the industry generally believed that Chinese cars could only fight price wars domestically, but BYD K9 electric buses drove into London, Paris, and Tokyo. It not only obtained strict European entry certifications but also was the first to enter the Japanese market. K9, which became the first global business card for China's new energy vehicles.
Diligence in technology would later evolve into a series of "Global Safety Stories" that went viral.
In 2026, in Jerusalem, a Yuan PLUS encountered a missile attack, the entire vehicle was overturned, the windows shattered, but the A, B, and C pillars were intact, the battery system did not experience thermal runaway, and the 5 people inside safely escaped.
In another incident, a Song PLUS DM-i belonging to a Brazilian owner was shot at by bandits with firearms, bullets failed to penetrate the car body, the driver escaped safely, and later remarked on social media: "It was BYD that saved my life."
"Safety is the ultimate luxury". BYD turned a series of deadly and real battlefield crises into a creed that wins the heart of the whole world.
The accumulation of technology was finally reflected in a full explosion in sales. In 2023, BYD surpassed Tesla to win the global new energy vehicle sales championship for the first time. In April 2026, BYD's 16 millionth new energy vehicle came off the line, from 10 million to 16 million took only 17 months.
The running speed of China's automotive industry on the global racecourse has never been so amazing. But on the world map, what BYD sowed earlier was not just products.
In 2021, BYD's first Southeast Asia factory started production in Thailand; in 2023, the Camaçari, Brazil factory was reborn; in 2025, the Hungary factory rose in Europe. Every move laid solid support for the explosion of the overseas market in the next few years.
Present: 2026, the year of global coronation
In April 2026, the global car market welcomed a historic moment. BYD topped the sales chart for all categories in Brazilian automotive retail with monthly retail sales of 14,911 units and a market share of 12.8%. Volkswagen's 20-year rule in Brazil was ended. Brazilian President Lula also became a BYD owner.
At the same time, the European battlefield was unstoppable. In Italy, BYD surpassed Volkswagen and Tesla to take the top spot in the sub-segment for the first time; in Germany, sales volume grew by more than 647% year-on-year; in the UK and Spain, year-on-year growth exceeded 600%. The Hungary factory is fully operational, with an annual capacity of 150,000 units, becoming the largest Chinese car factory in Europe.
In Southeast Asia, for every 3 pure electric vehicles sold in Thailand, at least 1 is from BYD. The Thailand factory has an annual capacity of 150,000 units, and through the ASEAN internal zero-tariff circulation system, the product touch extends to the entire Southeast Asia region.
Looking globally, in April 2026, BYD overseas sales reached 134,500 units, a year-on-year growth of 70.9%, setting a new record. Cumulative overseas sales from January to April reached 454,300 units, and overseas sales have accounted for more than 40% of the group's total sales. Penetration, scale, growth rate — all three mastered.
Brand Transformation: From Crazy Boasts to a Reality to Be Admired
Once upon a time, many people's impression of BYD stayed on "low-end" and "cheap". Do you remember in 2007, Wang Chuanfu once declared "will be No. 1 globally by 2025", when the audience was full of laughter. But when BYD surpassed Tesla in 2023 to become the global new energy vehicle sales champion, that seemingly crazy boast has been fulfilled ahead of schedule.
When Yangwang U9 Xtreme broke the global mass-produced car speed record with an actual measured top speed of 496.22 km/h, ran 6 minutes 59 seconds on the Nürburgring to become the first pure electric mass-produced vehicle to break the 7-minute mark, with a selling price of over 20 million and truly delivered to users, people's cognition underwent a thorough turnaround. Chinese cars have finally gained pricing power in the supercar field for the first time.
At the same time, the 5th Generation DM hybrid system was further evolved, with NEDC low-battery fuel consumption per 100km dropping to 2.6 liters, a full tank and full battery combined range of 2,100 kilometers, achieving "a tank of fuel from Beijing straight to Shenzhen".
The 2nd Generation Blade Battery and Flash Charge technology launched in March 2026 dropped a bombshell in the recharging link. Wang Chuanfu boldly declared on the spot: "5 minutes to full charge, 9 minutes to full, plus only 3 minutes at minus 30 degrees."
The leap in brand value is the most direct evidence. From appearing on the BrandZ Global Automotive list for the first time in 2022 ranked eighth, to reaching fifth place in 2026, BYD has used four years to grow from a "newcomer" to a core role in the global automotive brand camp.
Conclusion
Brand, Performance, Market, Cultural Premium — BYD is rewriting the landscape of the global automotive industry simultaneously on four dimensions. Boundaries between traditional and non-traditional are dissolving, ecological niches of innovators and vested interests are being reshaped.
In the pinnacle showdown of this "King of Industries", no Chinese enterprise has ever walked so deeply and so confidently.
In the past, the world saw BYD; now, the world chooses BYD; in the future, the world will watch BYD together.
This is BYD's Global Time.
