BYD Ute Reviews

This flagship family SUV has just been put on hold.

BYD says its ready to climb the ute rankings in Australia, with the Chinese giant readying three new variants to take on the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max.

The Premium sits atop the two-model Atto 2 range, listing at $35,990, before on-road costs. It's important to note it shares its motor, battery and driving range with the cheaper Dynamic, so what you're paying for is more included features.

BYD is expanding its Shark 6 ute range in Australia.

BYD's flagship SUV has already been given buff before its even launched in Australia, Car News China reports.The Chinese brand has announced an upgraded version of its Sealion 8 seven-seater large SUV that is launching very soon in Australia.It will be the largest and most expensive BYD that has been introduced to the market so far. BYD sells the Sealion 8 in China with electric and plug-in hybrid variants, but it will be solely available as a plug-in hybrid when it hits Aussie shores.The plug-in hybrid option Australia will get comes with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that produces a total output of 400kW and 668Nm.The new Sealion 7 gets 115kW from the four-cylinder engine and paired with electric motors, offers a 0-100km/h time of 4.3 seconds.This new version will boost range, with the 36.5kWh battery boasting an electric-only range of 175-215km via the more lenient CLTC testing system. The Australian bound versions can drive a climbed 152km using the slightly more stringent NEDC test cycle. Other updates include a re-designed front grille, bamboo wood trim, while there are improved driver assistance features. There is an all-electric version of the Sealion 8 in China that has a dual-motor set-up. The front motor produces 230kW, while the rear motor makes 580kW, to achieve a 0-100km/h time of 3.9 seconds. It has a massive 101kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery that provides a CLTC range of 670km for the top-tier variant. BYD is growing its presence in Australia as they target a top-three place in the market by the end of next year, according to BYD Australia boss Stephen Collins.Both its Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid SUV and Sealion 7 all-electric SUV have been well received in Australia with strong sales figures. The comparatively larger Sealion 8 will be priced competitively to its main rivals, between $65,000 and $75,000. Jaecoo’s Omoda 9 plug-in starts from $61,990, as a five-seater. But the Sealion 8 will also have to take on the Kia Sorento, which is a dominant seller in the seven-seater segment. Its plug-in variant starts from just over $70,000.Another challenger will be the seven-seater variant of the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in, which starts from under $70,000.It is unclear whether this new Sealion 8 will be seen in Australia, with the original variant still yet to hit showrooms. BYD has not confirmed whether it will bring the electric version of the Sealion 8 to Australia, but it is rapidly expanding its line-up into new segments.

BYD is phasing out one of its key features that sets it apart from the crowd.

The BYD Atto 2 Dynamic is the cheapest electric SUV in Australia, listing at just $31,990, before on-road costs.

BYD has broken the hearts of anyone hoping a "Baby Shark" will join the fleet to sit below the Shark 6 in Australia, with one of the company's top executives pouring cold water on reports the new model was incoming.

If you instantly associate electric vehicles with an inflated price tag it's time to think again. The compact BYD Atto 2 SUV has taken the crown of Australia's most affordable new EV and we've had a revealing first drive.

These days it seems like a new car brand arrives in Australia each week, so it can be easy to become ambivalent about each new name.But you should be paying attention to the latest arrival, because it has the potential to really shake things up, even if you’ve never heard of it before.Denza is the brand in question, revealing plans for a pair of new ‘premium’ off-roaders — the B5 and B8 — to hit showrooms by the end of 2025. So why should you care about Denza?Because it isn’t an ‘all-new’ brand here, it’s actually a spin-off from BYD, which is already well-established in Australia and rapidly rising up the sales charts with its mix of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, including the popular Shark 6 ute.In fact, it’s the success of the Shark 6, a plug-in hybrid dual-cab, that bodes so well for Denza. The Shark 6 is already amongst the best-selling 4x4 utes on the market, sure it may be nowhere near the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux in sheer volume, but it has already cemented a place amongst the top five utes each month.Based on the sales data available to us, it’s comfortably out-selling Ford’s plug-in hybrid Ranger, showing that a new audience is embracing new technology from new brands in the traditional ute market.Denza will be hoping to do the same in the off-road space, with the B5 and B8 clearly aimed at Toyota’s beloved LandCruiser and Prado. Like the Shark, they will offer something different, with a potent (425kW and 450kW) plug-in hybrid set-up and plenty of other technologies and luxuries.We don’t know how much they’ll cost yet, but despite all the talk of Denza being a ‘premium’ offering, history suggests this Chinese brand will be aggressive on price to undercut its more established competition.The recent strong sales performances of BYD, GWM, Chery and MG underline how important value is to the current generation of brand-agnostic buyers. In this post-Holden/Ford locally-made cars world we now find ourselves, brand loyalty is a thing of the past.Value is what Australian new car buyers are looking for and it’s the Chinese brands that are looking to provide it. Whether it is sustainable or not is an entirely different debate, and one that’s irrelevant for people looking to purchase a new car in the here and now.BYD is already up nearly 150 per cent in sales volume in the first three quarters of 2025, led by the Shark 6 but ably backed up by the Sealion 6 PHEV and Sealion 7 EV SUVs. BYD will look to gain even more of the new car market by appealing to both first time car buyers and EV bargain hunters, when the new $25k Atto 1 hatch goes on sale and undercuts not only every other electric car but also most cars full stop.It is clear that, now run in-house, BYD is looking to make sure it remains headed up the sales charts. So if you only remember a few names from this current influx of new brands, make sure it’s BYD and Denza, because they are the ones most likely to make a lasting impact.