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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.
It has been a mysterious series of events surrounding the purported new model, with spy shots capturing what appears to be a smaller Shark wrapped in camouflage appearing in May, followed by what appeared to be patent drawings lodged in Europe for what looked like a more lifestyle-focused smaller sibling to the Shark 6 dual-cab.
Both moves suggested BYD was planning on expanding the Shark family with a smaller model more closely aligned with US 'lifestyle' pickups the Hyundai Santa Cruz and the Ford Maverick.
But BYD's most senior Asia Pacific executive has denied all knowledge of any such project, insisting no smaller model is coming.
That's the word from Liu Xueliange, GM of BYD Asia Pacific, who told CarsGuide there's "no plan" for a smaller model.
"No, we don't have any plans," he said through an interpreter when quizzed about the new model.
"It doesn't exist."
It's a mysterious response, and it's not entirely clear whether the model isn't destined for production at all, or simply isn't on the plan for Australia.
The executive went on to suggest the Shark 6 will be going on sale in China soon, opening the door to the smaller model being a China-market special.
"Because the Shark 6 are very popular in the Australian market and Brazil market, Chinese consumers are really expecting this car to arrive in China soon," he said through his interpreter.
Still, the executives comments do seem to conflict with the international reports and sightings, and so the baby Shark mystery deepens.
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