BYD says more than 2,000 orders taken in first 24 hours for Shark plug in ute

Chinese “new energy vehicle” giant BYD says more than 2,000 orders were taken in the first 24 hours in Australia for its newly launched Shark 6 plug in hybrid ute, despite the failure of its website in the face of such interest.

The Shark 6 was officially launched at a historic homestead near blackout-prone Broken Hill this week, and aims to compete with the best-selling Toyota Hilux and Ford Range utes. Ford, as it happens, has also teased its own PHEV version of the Ranger, albeit with significantly less electric range than the Shark.

“We knew the market was wanting a vehicle of this calibre but to see so many orders so quickly has taken us by surprise,” said Luke Todd, the head of BYD’s distribution company in AustralianEVDirect.

“What gives me even more confidence that the Shark 6 will end up being the number one vehicle sold in Australia is that we haven’t even started test drives. Once people drive the Shark 6, they will love it even more.”

The Shark 6 has been priced at a relatively low $57,900 (plus on-road costs).