BYD Shark 6 2025 News

Diesel as a fuel source might not be dead yet, but the vultures are circling, waiting for their prey to finally stop moving. Don’t believe me? It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see into a future already so clearly laid out, and not just by newcomer brands, but by some of the biggest proponents of diesel engines in the history of the fuel.

The hottest ute battle of 2025 looks like it will contain two new faces, with the battle between Ford and Toyota overshadowed by the race between two relative – and unexpected – newcomers.

One of the world’s largest carmakers' recent entry into Australia is proving fruitful, as China’s BYD finds itself sitting amongst the nation's top 10 brands.But BYD hasn’t only just managed to nab itself 10th or even 9th - in June 2025 the brand was the fifth-most popular behind Toyota, Ford, Mazda and Hyundai.In fact, in the entire first half of the year BYD has sold 23,355 cars in Australia putting it ahead of competitors like Isuzu (21,883), MG (21,674), Nissan (20,604) and Subaru (19,910).The first six best-selling brands in terms in the first half of 2025 will be familiar: Toyota, Mazda, Ford, Kia, Hyundai and Mitsubishi. But then? GWM and BYD.While GWM’s growth compared to the first half of 2024 is up a steady 17.0 per cent, BYD’s rise since the same period last year is meteoric. Compared to its 9548 sales up to June 30 in 2024, BYD’s 23,355 sales so far this year means it’s up 144.6 per cent.Eighth on the ladder year-to-date is an impressive feat for a brand most Australians likely hadn’t heard of just a couple of years ago, but the brand recognition brought about by its Atto 3 and the few models launched since has clearly worked.The brand has even made it into the ute market before mainstays like Kia, with its plug-in hybrid Shark 6 ute having broken the five-figure sales barrier. The brand has shifted 10,424 Sharks since its launch earlier this year.It’s unsurprisingly BYD’s most popular model, followed by the Sealion 6 PHEV (4375 YTD) and its electric Sealion 7 sibling (3756 YTD).The Atto 3 remains popular enough despite sales halving compared to the same point last year, now 1854 units this year-to-date, followed by the Seal sedan (1609 YTD, down 60.7 per cent) and Dolphin hatch (1337 YTD, up 7.1 per cent).The only thing that seems like it could see BYD come undone is a report from last week via Reuters that production at some BYD factories has been “cut by at least a third”, but it’s yet to be seen whether this is confirmed, or whether this will have a direct impact on Australian sales.

There’s a new number-one seller in town. The Ford Ranger has run down the Toyota RAV4 at the halfway point of the yearly sales race.

Is BYD's Shark 6 all it's cracked up to be?

BYD is gearing up for a massive new-model rollout that should cement its place in Australia's top 10 car brands.

Is BYD about to go on a massive ute offensive?Fresh spy photos published by CarNewChina show a heavily camouflaged BYD ute, which features more SUV-like looks compared to the burly appeal of the Shark 6.Is this potentially a new SUV-based ute, in a similar vein the current Ford maverick or the former Holden Commodore ute, or is it a China-specific version of the Shark 6?Much of the rear of the vehicle looks like the Shark 6, but the front end has new styling reminiscent of some of the Chinese makers vehicles in its home market.The Shark 6, which currently is not on sale in China, could be getting toned down styling to suit the country's tastes. The version on sale in Australia and other export markets is pitched towards the butch American-style pick-up looks preferred abroad.The other option is a more lifestyle ute focused more on city driving. This means ditching the workhorse ladder-frame chassis that underpins the Shark 6 in favour of a softer SUV platform.BYD’s soon-to-be former importer EVDirect had previously expressed interest in a full-size ute to sit above the Shark 6. This ute is not that.Last year EVDirect CEO, David Smitherman, said to CarsGuide the only way to go in the ute segment is up, especially if sales of the Shark 6 take off in the way that the company is hoping for.“But, you can see that the range of different (types of) utes in Australia is significant,” said Smitherman.“We've had significant interest from fleets around (the Shark 6 and future variants there-of) …and around full-sized utes as well.“And you know how passionate I am with my prior history about the full-sized ute segment,” he said.The Shark 6 has had meteoric success in Australia in the first few months on sale. More than 6000 examples of the ute have found a new home through the first four months of this year. This is due to its sharp $57,900 (before on-roads) price tag and game-changing plug-in hybrid seat-up.The Shark 6 combines a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and dual electric motors that provide all-wheel drive grip and deliver 321kW and 650Nm.This is paired with a circa-29.5kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. This can be replenished with a max 7kW AC charge or 55kW when hooked up to a DC fast charger.BYD claims the Shark 6 can be driven up to 100km on pure electric power and drinks 2.0L/100km for a total driving range of 800km. If you have less than 20 per cent battery the engine will drink a claimed 7.9L/100km.

Here’s a little peek behind the curtain for you. During a media launch event for a new car, journalists will often be presented with information about the new model and given the opportunity to ask questions of engineers and executives.

Australia get ready for another ute from another brand because Chinese carmaker GAC has confirmed it will bring the production version of its GAC Pickup 01 concept Down Under.

As any brand not named Toyota will tell you, breaking into the upper echelon of Australia’s ute market is incredibly tough. Even the mighty Ford Motor Company, which invented the utility vehicle, took decades to crack the code and give the HiLux some serious competition.