Latest on the BYD Shark 6 electric ute and hybrid circling around the Isuzu D-Max EV, Ford Ranger Electric, LDV e-Terron 9 and more

The just-released Shark 6 is just the beginning.

BYD is on an unprecedented product rollout since launching in Australia in 2022, and it's set to fortify its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) ute offering with additional variants, as the brand attempts to redefine the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger segment in this country.

But here’s a surprise: instead of offering a less-expensive version of the highly-equipped launch version of the Shark 6 to compete against other Chinese utes like the GWM Cannon Alpha hybrid, it intends to go full electric.

That’s right. BYD is expected to launch a full battery electric vehicle (EV) version of its medium-sized dual-cab ute, to take on a new wave of electrified rivals anticipated for Australia.

These include the Isuzu D-Max EV, LDV e-Terron 9, KGM SsangYong O100, Foton Tunland G7, Geely Radar RD6 and, eventually, an electric Ranger that may or may not be called Lightning.

According to Australian importer EVDirect CEO, David Smitherman, if the pre-launch interest in the Shark 6 PHEV translates into strong demand, then EV, rather than hybrid, would be a logical progression for the series.

“(The Shark 6) is certainly more likely to go EV as opposed to hybrid,” he told CarsGuide.

“If you just look at the rest of the BYD range that our business is offering, (it makes sense) right? But at this stage, what we're keen to do is to prove the success of the (Shark 6 PHEV) before we look at other technologies.”

So, what would power a Shark 6 EV?

BYD is already chasing fleet markets in Europe with the E-Vali full-sized van that debuted at the Frankfurt IAA in September; that uses a circa-80kWh Blade Battery (of Lithium Iron Phosphate chemistry), providing up to 250km of WLTP range, and in single-motor rear drive and dual-motor all-wheel drive guises.

We’d wager a larger battery closer to 100kWh would probably better-suit a ute application, given their weekday-workhorse/weekend-adventure focus.

But what about having a cheaper and less-luxurious model of the existing PHEV version of the Shark 6 that starts from $57,900 before on-road costs, to bring the price closer to $50,000?

“We considered launching with a more basic ute version,” a BYD spokesperson told CarsGuide.

“But with the pricing and positioning so competitive with the version we’ve got, it just didn’t make sense.”

Smitherman has flagged his desire to chase fleet buyers, with – as we recently reported in CarsGuide – more models and/or expanded grades expected to eventually follow in order to meet that brief.

“We're only launching with one (Shark 6) variant at the moment, so you can see the opportunity (exists there),” he said.

“We've had significant interest from fleets around this vehicle, around cab chasses, around full-size utes as well.

“For Australia, we'll launch with one model, but I'd expect to have a significant range of utes.”

Utes, like the successful Atto 3 EV and Sealion 6 PHEV SUVs that BYD has released in this country, are the priority for the EVDirect boss, and there is more where that came from.

“My immediate focus is really on SUV and ute, and that's where, where we see the really large segments in Australia,” Smitherman said.

“You can't do everything immediately, but for me, (these are) my primary focus.

“The beauty of BYD – and (don’t forget that) 12 of the top 20 vehicles in China are BYD – is that it gives us is a significant amount of product to choose from.

“And from our perspective, to be a significant brand in Australia, we need to offer choice, right? And, so, we will bring as much product we can to market that's going to meet Australia needs and increase our presence and volume.

“Absolutely everything's on the drawing board.”