BYD Shark 6 2024 News

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

The rise and rise of BYD in Australia has been punctuated by some of the most impressive sales increases for a new brand, a can-do attitude peppered with incredibly optimistic claims and a string of new cars that's soon to include a dual-cab ute.BYD's exi

We all want to prevent the world from turning into a natural disaster riddled hothouse in the not-too-distant future, that’s a given.But EVs aren’t the magical solution to the world’s climate woes that many people believe them to be, however driving them may at least form one small part of humankind’s ever-changing scramble to rectify the damage we have all wrought on the world during our time here.Driving an EV may be preferable to the world turning into a fiery hellhole, but if you live outside of a city or if you’re a ute-driving tradie who has to travel many hours and many kilometres during a typical work day – to several different job sites, to Bunnings, to a pie shop, to another location to do a quote for a new client – an EV is not a viable option.At the moment there are just so many variables involved with using an EV ute as your vehicle of choice – range anxiety, lack of charging stations, the actual time it takes to charge – that it just doesn’t make sense as a daily driver.So what is a viable option? A hybrid vehicle – one with a traditional fuel source (petrol or diesel) and electric power – is a cheaper alternative to a full-blown EV and it yields better fuel economy and less environmental impact than a standard petrol or diesel engine vehicle.A plug-in hybrid ute – one in which the electric motor runs the show until its battery is depleted enough that the internal-combustion engine kicks in as back-up – offers a happy compromise between saving the planet and still being able to get to and from job sites on time and with a full load onboard.And, lucky for all of us, some interesting options are on their way, not the least of which is the Chinese-built BYD Shark, which on paper at least, looks like it might just rattle the cage of the Aussie ute market.This is a first for Australia – a plug-in hybrid ute – and in terms of performance and potential, the Shark presents a strong case.It has a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine with dual electric motors: a 170kW/310NM front motor and a 150kw/340Nm rear motor (total: 320kW and 650Nm).This BYD ute has a claimed driving range of 100km (electric only) and approximately 850km (hybrid).That’s a decent stretch of driving and worth noting because a plug-in hybrid doesn’t burden its driver with the crippling range anxiety that troubles some EV drivers.Think about that for a moment.An EV is wholly reliant on electric power; a hybrid isn’t. A hybrid can be driven with confidence all day if needed, because there are service stations everywhere (so you can fuel up if you have to), but there aren’t reliable EV charging stations everywhere.In fact, in the three years I’ve been involved in testing and reviewing EVs, I’ve found that charging stations are often broken/non-functional, offline (for maintenance purposes), too busy (with a queue already formed), or worse still, the parking space allocated to an EV for charging has been taken by an ICE vehicle because the driver was too bloody lazy to park a few more steps away from their favourite fast-food joint.The Shark has a listed payload of 850kg and braked towing capacity of 2500kg. It doesn’t have the 1000kg payload or 3500kg market-standard towing capacity of a stack of other utes, but it can still take on a considerable burden and clock up big distances before it needs to be refuelled/recharged – which is more than anyone can reasonably expect from any current EV.An EV’s driving range is effectively halved when it’s faced with extreme demands, such as carrying a payload’s worth of tools and equipment, or towing a trailer load of building materials.The power-consumption claims of EV manufacturers are one thing, but real-world use is another. For example, Rivian claims its R1T electric ute in the US has a touring range of 643km, but it wouldn’t do anywhere near that distance fully loaded and driving from job site to job site to job site … and the pie shop.Hybrids are generally a good combination of performance and fuel economy and offer people the opportunity to do something rather than nothing about addressing serious emissions issues in the world.Plug-in hybrids make a lot of sense as utes and there are more on the way including new versions of the Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton with petrol plug-in hybrid systems, so pretty soon you’ll be spoilt for choice.A well-priced, well-engineered plug-in hybrid ute could be the effective workhorse and happy compromise that everyone is waiting for.If you’re a tradie, a plug-in hybrid ute will give you the ability to reduce emissions, save on fuel costs and still lug loads, go the distance, tow your boat … and hit the pie shop. Job done.

BYD’s first foray into the popular ute market has made some waves.The plug-in hybrid dual-cab ute has recently been revealed and is likely to land in showrooms towards the end of 2024.The Chinese brand has revealed the price in Mexico, where the Shark made its global debut.It is priced from the equivalent of A$81,140 for the base version dubbed GL and $87,435 for the higher grade GS.We don’t know what the price will be in Australia but in Mexico the BYD Seal comes at a $20,000 premium compared to the Australian model and the smaller Dolphin hatchback is $10,000 cheaper here than in Mexico.This would put the BYD Shark’s starting point somewhere in the mid-$50,000 range before on-road costs in Australia if the company follows the same pricing, which would be cheaper than mid-tier versions of the Toyota HiLux, Isuzu D-Max and Ford Ranger.At that price the Shark becomes a very tasty proposition.It uses a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor on the rear axle to deliver all-wheel-drive grip and make 320kW and 650Nm.That makes it more powerful than a Ram 1500 powered by a Hemi V8.BYD claims it can sprint from 0-100km/h in 5.7 seconds, which makes it faster than the Ford Ranger Raptor.It uses a 30kWh battery to feed the electric motor and provides a driving range up to 100km in pure EV mode.A total driving range - via the more generous NEDC testing cycle - is about 845km.Charging isn’t super speedy with the Shark able to replenish its batteries from 30-80 per cent in 20 minutes via a fast DC charger. That means it can accept a max charge rate of 45kW.It isn’t all good news, though.The Shark falls behind Aussie favourites with its 2500kg max towing capacity and a payload of 835kg. The Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux and others can tow up to 3500kg and have a payload of about one tonne.While full specs are yet to be revealed, we do know the Shark is fitted with a 10.25-inch driver display, joined by a 12.8-inch central touchscreen that can be oriented in landscape or portrait.“It's called Dual Motor Intelligence. And it's not a hybrid as you know them," BYD importer Luke Todd has told CarsGuide."For Australia, in my opinion, I'm so happy that we ended up bringing this one first and not the pure electric, which will come probably a year or so later."

The BYD Shark ute, which is expected to be released here by the end of this year, may not be the only dual-cab pick-up the company is preparing.

The BYD Shark has at least been revealed at an event in Mexico, with the Chinese plug-in hybrid ute to deliver more grunt than a V8-powered pickup, and a sharper zero to 100km/h time than a Ford Ranger Raptor.Power outputs for the the Shark, which will la

The BYD Shark is now mere days away from being officially unveiled, and probably the most interesting thing about its unmasking will be just how the Chinese ute’s plug-in hybrid system competes with the diesels that dominate Australia’s dual-cab market.

The 2025 BYD Shark plug-in hybrid has been revealed by the brand on Instagram ahead of its official release date of 14 May.Shown in full, the three-image post displays a trio of young men road-tripping, presumably part of the BYD Shark's launch campaign to amplify the promised capability of the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger rival.Given it will be revealed in Mexico, it makes sense it will be a desert-themed trip. More information on the powertrain and stats will be revealed at the release.Which is why we know our guesses were mostly correct, with the Shark staying true to dual-cab norms, with some modern twists.Were given an even better glimpse into the ute's style – the unique blind-like sports bar at the back, underbody protection and unique long wheelbase proportions.We get a little glimpse of the spray-in bedliner again with a picture of the tailgate down confirming BYD's ute won't have any kind of split tailgate like the Cannon Alpha Hybrid does.BYD has promised the 'DMI' or Dual Motor Intelligence plug-in hybrid will offer over 1000km combined driving range. Towing capacity, power and torque figures remain unknown.We can guess outputs will be fairly juicy from the (likely) turbo-petrol 1.5-litre four-cylinder based plug-in hybrid system. BYD's Fang Cheng Bao 5 ladder frame SUV, for instance, pairs its engine with twin electric motors (one at each axle) for 500kW and 760Nm outputs."It is the best of both worlds – 100km range on pure electric, and then switch over to the dual-motor technology. So we're going to have a vehicle of circa-1000km, if not more range, but when you're driving around the city you'll be fully electric", BYD importer Luke Todd has told CarsGuide.More information is due on May 14, 2024.

The BYD Shark has finally been shot without camouflage, with the plug-in hybrid ute spied thundering across a dusty paddock as the model's official launch date is revealed.

BYD's first ute will almost certainly be named the Shark in Australia, with the brand locking in the global name for its Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger rival.