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China’s BYD is preparing to take on the biggest car makers in the US at their own game with a plug-in hybrid take on a full-sized pick-up.
An even bigger Shark is looming in the waters around Chinese car brand BYD, with confirmation it is working on a full-size, US-style pick-up.
David Smitherman, CEO of BYD’s Australian distributor EVDirect, told Drive the full-size pick-up is some years away, but it is “one hundred percent” on the radar for local showrooms.
As with the rest of the BYD range, the new pick-up is certain to be electrified – and given the difficulties in creating electric utes that can tow or carry heavy loads over long distances, it is likely to be a plug-in hybrid.
Arrival timing for the biggest BYD dual-cab to date is yet to be locked in, but it may be multiple years away.
And it may prove to have a significant price advantage over its rivals, as the BYD is more than likely to be factory-built in right-hand drive, rather than converted from left-hand drive locally like its rivals.
The first BYD ute, the smaller $57,900 Shark 6, is priced in line with a low- to middle-of-the-range Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux – all factory built in right-hand drive – yet is much better equipped, and offers plug-in hybrid tech.
Full-size pick-ups from US brands cost between $100,000 and $160,000 before on-road costs, depending on model and equipment level.
Smitherman joined the BYD distributor from Ateco, the Australian distributor for Ram pick-ups.
“Yeah,” he said when asked if a full-sized pick-up is coming, “I'm from a full-size pick-up background, [that] is my prior, prior history, so I love big utes.
“Absolutely, it’s in development.”
However, interested buyers keen to place an order are best advised to hold their breath, as the full-sized BYD ute – which could be named Shark 9 or similar – is a while away.
“But timing, it’s a similar distance,” Smitherman said. It is unclear what the BYD executive is referring to by “similar distance”, but this remark came after telling Drive about future models such as a 2.0-litre version of the Shark 6 that may not arrive until 2027.
“As a brand I think absolutely, that's an area that we'd love to be in,” he said, adding “one hundred percent” when asked if the ute would come to Australia.
Exactly what would power the full-sized Shark is unclear, but BYD sells a range of large off-road vehicles in China with high power outputs and towing capacity.
The Yangwang U8 range-extender flagship SUV combines four electric motors and a 49kWh battery assisted by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine to produce 880kW.
The most powerful full-sized US pick-up ever sold officially in Australia is the now-axed Ram 1500 TRX, which produced ‘only’ 523kW from a 6.2-litre supercharged V8.
Utes from other Chinese car makers GWM and LDV are growing in size – now about 5.5 metres long – but they are still within a few centimetres of the ‘mid-size’ Ranger and HiLux.
Full-sized US pick-ups are closer to six metres long, with wider footprints on the road, and braked tow ratings of 4500kg on popular '1500' series models – compared to a diesel Ranger’s 3500kg and a Shark 6’s 2500kg.
BYD has promised the Shark range will expand beyond the initial Shark 6, much in the same way the Sealion 6 plug-in hybrid SUV was followed by the electric Sealion 7.
However, the Shark 7 may not be electric, as building a dual-cab with the driving range, towing capacity and payload expected by ute buyers requires a large battery and a high price to match.
“I don't know, we’re still trying to work that out,” Smitherman said when asked if a future Shark 7 would be electric.
“On the Shark, we are simply trying to establish the brand. Electric is hard in utes, right? No else has cracked it. I think we've hit the magic point with a PHEV, and I'm very happy about that.”
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
