'You've seen the Shark?' It's Chinese hybrid ute civil war as JAC says it has the 2025 BYD Shark 6 beat with its T9 Hunter hybrid dual-cab

Chinese brand JAC says its incoming T9 Hunter plug-in hybrid ute has the wood on the popular BYD Shark 6, with a key executive telling CarsGuide "we've got the right package".

Speaking at the T9 Hunter's unveiling at the Melbourne Motor Show, Ahmed Mahmoud – Managing Director of JAC importer LTS Auto – was quizzed on whether the plug-in hybrid ute could match the BYD Shark 6 for sales in Australia.

"You've seen our car? You've seen the Shark? Have you driven the Shark? What do you think?" Mr Mahmoud asked.

"(The JAC) is pretty impressive, isn't it? I think as a combined unit, we've got the right package."

"But you think about what we've launched with the T9 diesel. You've got the value. You've got the trust and reliability. And you've got the focus that we always have on after-sales. And with that, coupled with a fantastic car, I think we'll do okay."

On paper, the JAC T9 Hunter would appear to be in a different power class to the Shark 6, with its 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine and twin electric motors producing 385kW and 1000Nm, compared to the 321kW and 650Nm on offer in the BYD.

Crucially, JAC is targeting a 3.5-tonne towing capacity it says will be repeatable, even on the hottest of Australian days, compared to the 2.5-tonne on offer in the Shark 6.

On the latter spec, BYD suggests 2.5-tonne towing is ample for most Australian needs, with the CEO of BYD importer EVDirect, David Smitherman, recently telling CarsGuide that "the feedback has been great".

Last month, the brand celebrated record sales, spurred by the 2810 registrations for the Shark 6.

"We've been very upfront about two-and-a-half tonne towing, and the feedback's been great. I don't feel as though (3.5t) is what every Australian wants. Of course, some people do. But for where the market is, you can go with that vehicle from the work site to the campsite. And it's just such a wonderful vehicle," he says.

Mr Mahmoud's confidence follows another senior JAC executive declaring the T9 Hunter can also best Ford's popular performance ute offering.

"We believe it's better than Ranger Raptor," said Henry Xia, Managing Director for Asia Pacific of JAC International.

Mr Xia also said the Chinese brand had shipped a Ranger to China for benchmark testing during the Hunter's development process.

The JAC T9 Hunter will launch in Australia in Q1 next year, with pricing an specification detail to be revealed closer to launch.