BYD’s smaller Shark breaks cover: New Mako PHEV ute revealed as potential Ford Maverick and Toyota rival
BYD has pulled the covers – well, most of them – off its new Mako plug-in hybrid ute in Brazil, revealing a smaller, more car-like alternative to the hugely successful Shark 6 that could eventually find its way to Australia.
Pre-production Makos have been shown to Brazilian media and even driven at the Interlagos circuit ahead of the new ute’s expected local launch in October or November.
And while BYD Australia is yet to confirm the Mako for our market, it has stopped short of ruling it out.
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Unlike the ladder-frame Shark 6, the Mako is a monocoque ute developed from BYD’s existing SUV architecture, making it conceptually closer to the Ford Maverick, Hyundai Santa Cruz and forthcoming Toyota Corolla Cross-based ute than traditional one-tonners such as the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.
It is also substantially smaller than the Shark 6.
Brazilian publication Quatro Rodas, which has driven a prototype, reports the Mako measures about 4.8 metres long with a 2.9m wheelbase. The Shark 6 stretches 5.46m long and rides on a 3.26m wheelbase.
The Mako makes extensive use of existing BYD hardware. Its architecture is related to the Song family of SUVs – known in Australia as the Sealion 5 and Sealion 6 – while Quatro Rodas reports the bonnet, headlights and front doors have been adapted from the pre-facelift Song Plus/Sealion 6 and elements of the rear doors come from the smaller Song Pro/Sealion 5.
But behind the passenger compartment it becomes a proper ute, with a separate load bed, a Shark 6-inspired full-width rear light treatment and BYD lettering stamped into the tailgate.
The tub is reported to offer about 1000 litres of volume and a payload of around 750kg. BYD has also prioritised rear passenger room, with Quatro Rodas reporting more rear legroom than Brazil’s Fiat Toro and Renault Oroch.
Underneath, there are MacPherson struts at the front and independent multi-link suspension at the rear, although the springs and dampers have been beefed up to cope with carrying a load.
The Brazilian Mako will use a flex-fuel version of BYD’s DM-i plug-in hybrid system capable of running on petrol or ethanol.
Final specifications have yet to be officially confirmed and reports disagree on the precise numbers, but the prototype driven by Quatro Rodas used a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine and front electric motor producing around 161-166kW.
The launch model is expected to be front-wheel drive, although an all-wheel drive version adding a rear electric motor has also been reported to be under development. Battery capacity and electric driving range have not been confirmed.
That combination would make the Mako a very different proposition to the more serious Shark 6, which uses BYD’s longitudinal DMO plug-in hybrid architecture and electric all-wheel drive.
It could also be only the start. Previous reports and European patent filings have pointed to the Mako potentially wearing the Shark 5 name in export markets, opening the door to markets beyond Latin America.
For now, BYD Australia says it is satisfied with the expanding Shark 6 range but continues to assess other vehicles where there is sufficient customer demand and a viable business case.
That leaves the door ajar for the Mako/Shark 5, particularly as Australia prepares for a new generation of smaller lifestyle utes.
Along with the forthcoming Toyota Corolla-based ute, potential rivals include vehicles such as the Ford Maverick overseas, while Volkswagen has just revealed its new Tukan for Latin America.
Brazilian production of the Mako is expected at BYD’s Camaçari factory in Bahia, underlining how specifically the ute has initially been developed for the booming South American market.
