When orders for the BYD Shark 6 open on October 29 – the same day its sub-$60,000 starting price will be announced – the Chinese dual-cab 4×4 ute will be unlike any other ute available to buy in Australia so far.
The Shark 6 will be the first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute released locally, beating the Ford Ranger PHEV and GWM Cannon Alpha Hi-4T PHEV to market.
Speaking with CarExpert, CEO of BYD’s local distributor EVDirect, David Smitherman, indicated the Shark 6 won’t just appeal to traditional ute buyers but will also reach a wider audience.
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“So we’ve surveyed over 1000 people to ask them who they are and what they want from a vehicle,” said Mr Smitherman.
“We see really the adventure-seeker people… [and] trades people. We also see, particularly with the V2L [vehicle-to-load]… people using it for their daily drive.
“So we think we will have a wide cross reference of Aussies for sure.”
Indeed Mr Smitherman said the Shark 6 will be BYD’s most important new model launch to date in Australia, where EVDirect expects the ground-breaking hay-hauler to be its top-selling vehicle in 2025.
“We’re aiming to be successful. We want to emulate the success we’ve seen in the Sealion 6, which is averaging around 1000 vehicles per month,” he said.
“So we’ve got high hopes, but again, we’re a new entrant. This is our first ute.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do, a lot of awareness, a lot of education, but the interest is very high.”
Although BYD hasn’t detailed exact local pricing for the Shark 6 yet, the company has now confirmed it will be priced from below $60,000.
So it will at least undercut the likes of the Ford Ranger XLT Bi-Turbo dual-cab ($63,640 before on-roads), and Toyota HiLux SR5 with V-Active Technology ($63,260 before on-roads).
From launch, only a single range-topping Premium version of the Shark 6 will be offered, with four exterior paint colour choices and one black interior colour option.
Under the bonnet is a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, two electric motors, and a 30kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. Total system outputs are a very generous 321kW of power and 650Nm of torque.
The ute is capable of travelling up to 100km on electric power alone, according to NEDC testing, but its 790kg payload and 2500kg braked towing capacity will fall short of Australia’s most popular utes.
First local customer deliveries of the Shark 6 are due to commence in December 2024 or January 2025.
MORE: Everything BYD Shark 6
