BYD to launch its first plug-in electric ute in Australia next month

BYD, one of the world’s fastest-growing automakers, has announced that it will launch its first ute into the Australian market next month to compete with best-sellers like the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger.

The BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) will be available to order in Australia from October 29, 2024.

According to BYD and its local distributor EV Direct, this ute will “mark a significant moment in the history of automotive innovation” in the country.

Rumoured to have a starting price of under $70,000, the Shark 6 ute has been seen testing on local roads for around 6 months, including towing caravans and off-road activities. This is to ensure that the vehicle is best suited for Australian roads.

The BYD Shark 6 has been labelled to be an “electric-first” vehicle which is equipped with BYD’s dual-mode off-road (DM-O) technology. This is part of BYD’s PHEV range tailored for its off-roading vehicles.

“The Shark 6 marks a really exciting moment for the brand as Australia’s first plug-in hybrid ute that’s been specifically made and tested on our roads, for our roads,” said David Smitherman, the CEO of EVDirect, the distributor of BYD in Australia.

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

“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”.

With the DM-O tech underneath, this ute will be offering one of the longest electric-only ranges in its class thanks to a 29.58 kWh BYD blade battery that can deliver an EV-only range of up to 100 km. Vehicle to load (V2L) is also available, making it possible to charge other equipment when on a work site or out camping.

It will feed the two electric motors found on the front and rear axles. The front motor will deliver 170 kW and 310 Nm while the rear motor can output up to 150 kW and 340 Nm.

Combined, the Shark 6’s drivetrain delivers 320 kW of power and offers a combined range of 800 km. The battery pack in the ute can also be charged by the ute’s 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine. 

With that power, the Shark 6 is capable of braked towing 2.5 tonnes in international markets but those specifications are yet to be confirmed for the local variants. 

For comparison, the upcoming Ford Ranger PHEV offers 3.5 tonnes of towing capacity, but lacks the electric-only range which is limited to just 45 km.

Electric utes in Australia have not seen much uptake in recent years with LDV e-T60 being one of the only options in the market.

In recent weeks sighting of a Rivian R1T have also been confirmed in Victoria, but that was a left hand drive vehicle, likely here for benchmark testing. Other utes like the F150 lightning have also come to market with prices approaching $200,000.

Maybe the Shark 6 entering Australia, it could create the path for other compelling PHEV and affordable pure electric ute models into our market in the coming years.

The BYD Shark 6 was originally unveiled globally in May this year and since then has been spotted testing in Australia alongside the BYD Sealion 7 electric SUV.

Full specs of the Shark 6 will be released in the coming weeks with the pricing to be announced at the official Australian market launch next month.

First test drive of BYD Shark 6 by Tom from Ludicrous Feed on YouTube