BYD beats Ford: 2025 BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute on-sale date confirmed, and it's much sooner than the Ford Ranger hybrid!

With a slightly adjusted name ahead of its launch, the BYD Shark 6 will be the first plug-in hybrid ute to land in Australia, well ahead of the Ford Ranger PHEV due in mid-2025.

The BYD Shark 6, which has now added the ‘6’ to its name seemingly in the footsteps of the BYD Sealion 6, will be available for local orders from October 29 this year, roughly a month from now.

Arriving with a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine and dual electric motors that total 320kW and 650Nm, the all-wheel drive ute boasts a claimed driving range of 800km.

Full local specifications are yet to be confirmed, but BYD’s local importer EVDirect said a full list of specifications (and available colours) will be announced within the coming weeks, while pricing is set to be confirmed “at the official Australian market launch next month”.

Having undergone some testing and development in Australia over the past six months, the BYD Shark 6 is, as claimed by EVDirect CEO David Smitherman, “specifically made and tested on our roads, for our roads”.

“It’s built for Australian demands with its spacious interior and sporty drive, showcasing versatility to suit adventurers, tradies and of course families,” Smitherman said.

“We believe it’s a true category creator with its luxury design and full suite of custom accessories.

“Importantly, it has incredibly low ongoing running costs as it toggles between pure EV and Hybrid formats, which in today’s economic climate is a genuine consideration for customers.”

Up to now, the other key details that have been discussed with media by BYD’s local representatives include a 100km electric driving range and a 2500kg braked towing capacity.

The latter falls short of the 3500kg benchmark, but BYD’s Asia Pacific General Manager Liu Xueliang told journalists recently that although the Shark 6 may not initially match it, more generations and other models will follow.

“So with the BYD Shark, probably the first generation we won’t be able to [increase the towing capacity], but we will always keep upgrading and creating new models as well.

“So BYD Shark won’t be the only model we will bring to Australia, so eventually there will be many upgraded models [to satisfy the towing capacity].”