BYD Shark 6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 N the big winners as Aussie new car awards season turns electric!

December 16, 2024December 17, 2024 Bruce Newton 10753 Views BYD, ev, Hyundai, PHEV, Shark 6

Electrified vehicles have swept two major Australian automotive media best car awards announced in recent days.

The BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute won the News Corp Australia Car of the Year.

Meanwhile, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N has won the 61st Car of the Year of the award from the enthusiast magazine Wheels.

The 5 N also finished top three in the News Corp awards, along with the Hyundai Santa Fe hybrid large SUV.

EV Central editors played a role in both voting processes.

Toby Hagon and Iain Curry were judges on the News Corp awards, while as a former editor Stephen Corby joined the Wheels judging panel.

Priced from $57,900 plus on-road costs (about $61,000 drive-away), the Shark represents sharp buying.

It has a sophisticated plug-in hybrid motor that mates dual electric motors with a turbo petrol engine to produce 321kW.

Three power points in the tray are linked to a 29.58kWh battery that runs appliances on the worksite or campsite, returning around 70km of electric driving range.

Toby Hagon said the BYD Shark 6 represents “amazing value”.

“The ute market has been a little bit stagnant for years, possibly decades,” he said.

“This Shark 6 has come out and shown just how differently you can attack it, and how well you can do it when you start thinking about things a bit differently… It is really taking the fight to those diesel-powered utes.”

Iain Curry felt the Shark “brings things on to the next level”.

“The value you get, the performance, the space, the technology – it really is a game changer in that space and other utes are going to have to step up to compete with BYD.”

Far and away the most beautiful Land Rover Hyundai has ever built — Hyundai Santa Fe.

The MG Cyberster EV, BYD Sealion 6 PHEV and Toyota Camry hybrid were also among the News Corp award finalists.

The 5 N was the unanimous choice of the Wheels judging panel, ahead of the Camry and the Santa Fe.

The most expensive Hyundai sold in Australia, the $110,283 (plus on-road costs) 5N combines a 478kW/740Nm dual motor powertrain, all-wheel drive and a 3.4 seconds 0-100km/h time.

“Imagine blending the performance and response of an EV with the involvement and fun factor of a combustion-engined sports car,’ said Wheels Editor Andy Enright. ‘The Hyundai IONIQ 5 N has managed to achieve exactly that. It’s a landmark achievement.”

The 5 N beat a field of 25 nominees, covering the most important 2024 releases.