BYD Ute Reviews

Chinese brand FAW has unveiled a new type of battery, which can achieve a driving range exceeding 1000km, according to reports.The battery has a capacity of 142kWh, and offers an energy density of 500Wh per kilogram. This is a new type of high-tech battery, differing from the traditional idea of solid-state, which is often viewed as the next big step.Chinese companies are continuing to develop their solid-state batteries, such as BYD and Chery that have recently announced projects.Chery claims its solid-state battery has an energy density of 600Wh per kilogram, but FAW’s efforts still represent a significant improvement on conventional alternatives.Traditional solid-state batteries do not use a liquid or gel electrolyte for the mechanical separator. Unlike solid-state, the mechanical separator in FAW's battery is made up of a slurry-like substance, combining solid and liquid components. This hybrid composition is able to provide the desired high energy density in comparison to common lithium-iron batteries, while also offering potential for cost-effective mass-production.The lithium-manganese battery developed by FAW features lithium manganese cells and solid electrolyte elements.While this battery has been mounted into an FAW car, there is no news on the battery's full-scale production future.FAW produce several electric models, and from the photo, it looks like the battery has been fitted to the Hongqi Tiangong 05 sedan launched in 2025.Solid-state batteries have commercial and manufacturing challenges in the pursuit of full-scale mass-production, which is why some car makers have ruled them out in the short and medium term.BYD and Chery have taken different approaches for the composition of its solid-state battery, but neither brand has committed to long-term mass-production of the technology.Chery has unveiled two cars featuring solid-state batteries, but they are both part of the brand’s premium Exeed branch, so it will not be offered in mainstream products. BYD will only produce solid-state vehicles in a small batch coming next year. FAW’s hybrid alternative could offer a route towards solid-state in the interim while the technology develops towards a more sustainable level. 

Could the Shark 6 be about to take a bigger chunk out of the dual-cab market?The brand has come as close as it ever has to admitting there’s a driveline upgrade in the works for the Shark 6 dual-cab that would make the vehicle a more serious off-road contender.That would make it more attractive to recreational four-wheel-drive users as well as open up new fleet possibilities.BYD Australia’s Chief Operation Office Stephen Collins told Carsguide that "some improvements" to the Shark 6 were in the works.“I can’t tell you the specifics,” he said, but confirmed the changes would probably come sometime “…later in the year”.Mr Collins called the changes an "upgrade" leading to speculation the Shark 6 might grow front and rear differential locks and a two-speed transfer-case, which would vastly improve its off-road performance, the factor that is seen as the Shark 6’s weakest link right now.Chief Product Officer for BYD Australia Sajid Hasan backed up that theory, explaining that the Shark 6’s existing architecture had already been engineered for greater off-road ability.“It’s a possibility, because it’s (the Shark 6) based on a platform that already uses low-range (in the transfer-case (which the current Shark 6 sold here does not) and diff locks. So it’s mechanically possible,” he told Carsguide.The Shark 6 has been a runaway success for BYD, selling 1108 units in January this year, and helping BYD in the chase for its long-term goal of being a top-five brand in Australia.“At the end of 20204, we were 16th, and at the end of 2025, we were eighth. We just want to keep improving,” Mr Collin said. “The next phase is to get into the top five and that’s a priority.”Part of that process will be a push into the fleet market which BYD had, until now, not fully exploited, Mr Collins said.“One of the key opportunities (for BYD) is fleets,” he said. “It’s a stable market and customers want fit for purpose vehicles, and are interested in the whole of life cost.”“For us, so far, this has only been 10 per cent of our volume, but we see this as a really important part of our business going forward.”“We’re not in the top 20 fleet brands (in Australia) yet. But we’re working hard to improve that performance.”

The push towards plug-in hybrids has taken another step with BYD adding just such a powertrain with its Sealion 5 line-up. As well as the EV-only range and equipment levels a lot of families are searching for, the BYD also arrives at a super-sharp price-point. But will that be enough to make it stand out in what is becoming a sea of mid-sized plug-in SUVs?

BYD has held nothing back in extending its Sealion line-up. Not only do the new Sealion 8 variants adopt a plug-in hybrid powertrain, they're also the first to offer a seven-seat solution. There's plenty of choice in trim levels and even a pair of drivelines to choose from; one pretty mild, one very wild. But can the BYD redefine the three-row SUV concept in any meaningful way?

BYD is the latest brand to get in on the solid-state battery scene, with small-batch production to get underway in 2027, according to reports.This latest development puts BYD back in the race against Chinese rival Chery that has also recently announced solid-state technology. The Chery Exeed Liefeng shooting brake will feature a battery offering a potential driving range of 1500km, with an energy density of 600Wh per kilogram.This will launch after the Exeed ES8 shooting brake, which will be Chery’s first solid-state model, with a driving range of 1000km. We do not know which BYD vehicles will be fitted with this solid-state technology or its real-world potential yet.It is expected BYD’s technology will differ from Chery’s as it will use sulfide electrolytes as opposed to oxide-based chemistry. This different set-up could be a more practical route to commercial viability for solid-state technology as it is claimed to be easier to manufacture and provides benefits such as faster and safer energy transfer that could result in faster charging and lower fire risk. BYD’s solid-state powered vehicles will only be available in a small batch next year, which suggests there are no plans yet for the technology to enter full-scale production at this stage.Solid-state batteries have been gaining traction with car makers in China, but other big-name manufacturers in Europe and North America have been slower to get behind them. General Motors has highlighted its scepticism for solid-state, preferring investment in silicon graphite batteries, while Ford views it as a ‘possible future technology’.Mercedes-Benz unveiled a prototype solid-state powered version of its EQS sedan in September 2025, which travelled 1205km on a single charge. Full integration of this technology remains several years away, with full market integration unlikely to occur until the 2030s if it continues to gather steam in the EV space. 

High demand and the production volume to meet it has pushed two emerging challengers in the Australian new vehicle market to even greater heights in the first month of 2026.With 2025 new model additions including the Shark 6 ute, city-sized Atto 1 electric hatch and compact Atto 2 EV SUV, as well as the larger pure-electric Sealion 7 and plug-in hybrid Sealion 8 SUVs, BYD’s year-on-year sales for the month of January grew by a spectacular 640.9 per cent.In outright numbers, that’s 5001 units sold compared to 675 in the same month last year.In particular, the Sealion 7’s popularity has seemingly put the squeeze on several established medium SUV contenders like the Honda ZR-V (-15 per cent), Kia Sportage (-30.7 per cent), Nissan X-Trail (-34.2 per cent) and even the normally segment-leading Toyota RAV4 (-65.4 per cent), the latter two in run-out mode.Given the pure-electric Sealion 7’s size, specification and starting price ($54,990, before on-road costs), arguably its most direct competitor is the Tesla Model Y (from $58,900, BOC), the latter down 38.1 per cent in January, the BYD outselling it four to one (1171 units to 288).   At the same time, Chery more than doubled its January sales (+105.8 per cent), largely thanks to the ongoing success of its Tiggo 4 Pro, which comfortably led the small SUV category ahead of 2025 segment heavyweights like the Hyundai Kona, GWM Haval Jolion and MG ZS.With a starting price of $23,990, drive-away, it’s not hard to see why the Tiggo 4 Pro, easily the most affordable small SUV in the country, has made such an impact. Again, some long-standing players in this part of the market like the Mazda CX-30 (-3.9 per cent), Mitsubishi ASX (-90.9 per cent, in new model ramp-up) and Subaru Crosstrek (-22.8 per cent) took a backwards step, year-on-year.Another solid improver from China for January sales was GWM (+31.3 per cent), while other volume brands, LDV (-19.5 per cent) and MG (-16.5 per cent), declined. 

BYD has added a fully electric variant to its Ti7 large SUV range ahead of the model’s potential arrival in Australia.Sold in China under BYD’s off-road focused Fang Cheng Bao brand the Ti7 is likely to wear a Denza badge if and when it arrives in Australia. Until now the Toyota LandCruiser Prado sized Ti7 has been available as plug-in hybrid only.The electric Ti7 will be offered in two layouts: a rear-wheel drive with a single motor making 300kW variant and an all-wheel drive with dual motors producing 515kW version. Neither the battery capacity nor range has been announced yet.The current Ti7 line-up is PHEV-only and has a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine teamed up with one electric motor in the FWD variant and adds a rear motor in the AWD.The Ti7 has similar dimensions to the Prado at 4999mm long, 1995mm tall and 1865mm wide, but looks more like a Land Rover Defender with its long, high bonnet, tall windows and blocky stature. The Ti7 is a large SUV, but it's understood the cabin has two rows for five seats only.BYD has already brought other models from its Fang Cheng Bao range to Australia including the B5 and B8 rugged SUVS.Both PHEVs, the B5 starts at $74,990 while the B8 has an entry price of $91,000.The B5 is approximately 4900mm long while the B8 stretches almost 5200mm in length.The Ti7 has a similar interior to both the B5 and B8, and in its home market comes with an array of luxury standard and optional features including a 15.6-inch media screen, a  26-inch head up display, plus 13-inch seat back tablets in the second row. There’s also a 20-speaker sound system, 4.5-litre fridge and even a roof-mounted drone.Cargo space looks excellent with a boot that BYD says has a capacity of 1000 litres.Denza has yet to confirm if the Ti7 will come to Australia.

Love it or hate it, the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) appears to be working.Well, at least in part.For those unfamiliar, the Federal Government’s goal is to get more hybrid and electric vehicles on the road, and to incentivise that it will punish brands that exceed the emissions targets it has set. But car companies will get emissions ‘credits’ for every electric vehicle (EV) they sell, which puts the onus on car makers to sell more EVs.Which explains why every brand from Alfa Romeo to Zeekr is looking to sell more EVs (or plug-in hybrids that help lower the average fleet emission figure) as soon as possible.It also explains why there are some increasingly large EV discounts and more and more affordable EVs hitting the market.For a prime example of this, look no further than Hyundai’s recent announcement of huge discounts across its Kona range, which coincides with the upcoming launch of another new EV model for the brand (its sixth electric option), the Elexio.When we say ‘huge discounts’ that’s not hyperbole, the Kona Electric has been slashed by up to $13,857 on some variants. Every electric Kona variant has been cut by at least $13k, in a likely sign Hyundai Australia is looking to get itself as many EV credits as possible to compensate for the rest of its line-up. Another way to look at this is, Hyundai is effectively making a choice to take a financial hit to help its wider business, and rather than take the hit in the form of a fine, it’s turning it into a positive and handing a massive price saving to potential customers.These price cuts happened to coincide with Hyundai Australia’s new - and independently run - finance arm, Hyundai Capital Australia, striking a deal with the Federal Government’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC).The CEFC will commit $60 million to Hyundai Capital, allowing the business to offer discounted interest rates to EV customers for both Hyundai and Kia electric models under the luxury car tax, further stimulating sales.Or at least that is the hope from the government’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen.“This CEFC investment will help lower the cost barrier for households and small businesses, making EV ownership more accessible,” Minister Bowen said.“Transport is one of our biggest sources of emissions, and electric vehicles are a key way we cut pollution while saving people money.”At the same time, several other brands are introducing more affordable EVs that are either close to parity with petrol-powered rivals, or in some cases cheaper, further lowering the barriers to entry. The BYD Atto 1 is the prime example of this trend. Starting at just $23,990 (plus on-road costs) it’s the cheapest EV on sale at the time of publication. By contrast, the petrol-powered Mazda2 starts at $28,190 and the Toyota Yaris Hybrid starts at $28,990.The BYD Dolphin and Atto 2, GWM Ora, MG4, Chery E5, Leapmotor B10 and Hyundai Inster can all be purchased for less than $40,000 drive-away.Australians are increasingly adopting EVs, with the more than 100,000 battery-powered vehicles sold in 2025. That took the overall percentage of the new car market to 8.3 per cent, which is small but growing. And it’s likely to continue to grow if EVs continue to get more affordable as NVES and other factors push car companies to find ways to make them more appealing to customers.

Where is the Toyota HiLux hybrid?Nine generations in since 1972, you would expect there to be a series-parallel petrol-electric version of one of Australia’s most popular – and, to some people, beloved – vehicles.With some 18,000 BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) sold in Australia last year, it is clear that even ute consumers are gravitating away from diesel and into less-polluting powertrain alternatives.This is especially true given that all of Toyota’s car-based SUVs and passenger cars minus the GR86 coupe are now offered exclusively as hybrids in Australia.The answer, it seems, is implied in the previous sentence, since the rest of the Japanese giant’s model line-up, including all body-on-frame SUVs and commercial vehicles including the Toyota HiAce van, barring the Tundra full-sized pick-up that is remanufactured in Melbourne from North America, are powered by diesel engines.And the latter barely counts since it costs from $155,990 before on-road costs, making it a strictly niche proposition.“In simplistic terms, it just gets down to capability and cost you know,” according to former Toyota Motor Company Australia (TMCA) Vice President Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations, Sean Hanley.“You still need to have that diesel engine that could do the things that customer want to do. There's nothing more or less in it than that.”Hanley explained that, right now, only diesel-powered engines can achieve the level of towing and Gross Vehicle Mass (the total amount a vehicle is allowed to weigh when fully loaded) within a certain price point in models like HiLux and HiAce. Later on, things may change.“There's costs, you know,” he said.“Developing these kinds of vehicles in a light commercial vehicle (LCV) cost a lot of money.“So, is the timing right for it? Now, I agree. We've been doing it a long time. It's proven technology; but in an LCV right now, for what, where we'd position it, where it would be positioned, is that really right for the Australian market… or other global markets? Maybe it is, but our assessment is not right now, but at some point (yes).”However, if LCV consumers are clamouring for hybrids, the vehicles must make financial sense, particularly to a company like Toyota.“Okay there may be a demand for the technology, because the technology is good,” Hanley added.“But, when you put the cost of it and the capability of it and the position of it, it doesn't make sense. It may not stack up right now. Doesn't mean it's forever. It's a period.“It's because making an LCV is a far different proposition than making a sedan. It's a far different proposition than making a light SUV, a heavy SUV… this is a far bigger challenge than you truly might understand.”“That's the longer version of why (there is no HiLux or HiAce hybrids); in simple terms, it’s all about capability, positioning, price and cost.”Toyota’s famously cautious approach mirrors its delayed electric vehicle (EV) strategy, which seems to have been the prudent move now as the take-up rate has slowed and Australians are favouring hybrids and PHEVs.“It's no different to when we approached battery EVs,” Hanley said.“You see, there's a cost of making these cars, and in the end, you've got to deliver what the customer wants, but you've also got to be commercially relevant.“These are lessons we learned from hybrid. You know, we learned these lessons now, what's the difference? Well, the difference will only be the timeframe of take up. EVs will be quicker than hybrid was. Hybrid took 24 years to get to where we are today. Now it's just an everyday mainstream car. No one even talks about it, except they say they want one.“EVs will be the same in time. It just won't be 24 years. It'll be a bit quicker.“The reality is those who get the timing right and take customer on the journey will get will be the winner.”

China’s BYD is upgrading its top-selling Shark 6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute in Australia with more power and towing capacity.According to local government approval filings, this version of the Shark 6 will receive a more powerful 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with a 200kW front electric motor and a 150kW rear electric motor, bringing a total system output of 345kW.This is up from the current 321kW total system output which is achieved by a smaller 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, a 170kW front electric motor and a 150kW rear electric motor.It’s worth noting that this new 2.0-litre turbo-petrol and dual-electric motor set-up is borrowed from the recently launched Denza B5, though it’s a detuned version. The B5 has a total system output of 400kW.Thanks in part to the extra power, the maximum braked towing capacity has been increased from 2500kg to a segment-meeting 3500kg.The larger engine and more powerful front electric motor however has also increased the tare mass from 2675kg to 2738kg. No payload or gross vehicle mass (GVM) figures have been detailed yet.It’s unclear whether BYD will add this forthcoming more powerful version as a flagship offering in the line-up, or whether it will completely replace the existing model.Regardless it will likely cost more than the current Shark 6 Premium, which starts at $57,900 before on-road costs.For now BYD hasn’t officially announced when this upgraded version of the Shark 6 will be going on sale, though government approval filings like the typically are published just a few months before a vehicle goes on sale.As previously reported, the approval filings also include a cab-chassis version of the Shark 6.It’s worth noting that it still features the same 1.5-litre turbo-petrol dual-electric motor powertrain as the existing Shark 6, meaning it also only has a 2500kg braked towing capacity.BYD similarly hasn’t confirmed exactly when this Shark 6 cab-chassis will be going on sale.In Australia the Shark 6 has been a runaway sales success since it was first launched in early 2025.Last year a total of 18,073 examples were sold, making it the best-selling PHEV in Australia.Even in January 2026, a total of 1108 Shark 6 examples were sold. This saw it outsell the likes of the GWM Cannon and Cannon Alpha (885 sales combined), Kia Tasman (410 sales) and the Mazda BT-50 (780 sales).