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Battery-electric and super-sized versions of the popular BYD Shark 6 appear to be in the plan, but they may be some time away.
BYD says it is "on our way" to launching an electric sibling to the Shark 6 ute, alongside a full-size US-style pick-up to challenge Ram, Chevrolet and Ford.
Plans for major expansions to the Shark ute brand beyond today's Toyota HiLux-sized Shark 6 plug-in hybrid appear to be some time away, as BYD focuses on new cab-chassis and 2.0-litre versions of its popular dual-cab.
"Many," BYD Asia Pacific managing director Liu Xueliang told media, including Drive, through an interpreter at the Melbourne motor show, when asked if the brand has received requests for a larger Shark or an electric version.
"The owner of the mining site, they [want] pure electric. We have heard some customer requests for the full-size Shark 6, similar to the Ford F-150.
"Through Shark, we actually learn a lot about the consumers' preferences and behaviours in the Australian market."
Asked if BYD is developing vehicles to meet the request, Liu said through an interpreter: "We are on our way to try to get there."
News of a larger BYD pick-up being in development surfaced last year in comments to Drive by David Smitherman, the CEO of BYD's former Australian distributor EVDirect.
"Absolutely, it’s in development ... As a brand I think absolutely, that's an area that we'd love to be in," he said in February 2025.
It was suggested at the time that arrival timing would be a "similar distance" to the 2.0-litre Shark 6, then expected to reach Australia in 2027, but now confirmed for a May 2026 arrival under the Performance badge.
Given BYD is yet to reveal a larger pick-up, nor have the vehicle spied testing, any F-150 competitor from the Chinese brand is likely to be at least 12 months away.
Meanwhile, the tables appear to have turned on demand for a battery-electric Shark 6.
Liu told Australian media at the Shark 6 hybrid's launch in late 2024: "[Possibly an EV could come] sometime later. Everything BYD develops is based on market feedback, as long as there is a demand from the buyer, we will expand on that."
However, he added: "Currently we haven’t considered a pure-electric version because – based on the performance, based on the [driving] range – PHEV is the best power model for the Shark 6."
Demand from mining fleets – where battery power is advantageous underground, and utes can be recharged on site overnight –appears to have grown interest in a Shark 6 EV.
The Toyota HiLux BEV is aimed at a similar market, given its 240km claimed WLTP driving range and 2000kg towing capacity limit its appeal for private buyers, while JAC is testing an electric T9 in Western Australia mines.
BYD does not sell an electric version of the Shark 6 or its SUV siblings, the Denza B5 and B8, in any global market.
However, the placement of its hybrid battery pack between the wheels – and electric motors on each axle – like an electric car means going battery-only would not need to delete any driveshafts or differentials associated with the petrol engine.
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
