Shark bites: BYD continues teasing roll-out of Aussie-bound dual-cab ute
The 2024 BYD Shark was a surprise no show at the Beijing motor show but the Chinese car-maker has dropped four new teases of its electrified dual-cab 4×4 ute ahead of its imminent arrival.
The new images give us a fresh up close look at the hybrid ute’s wheels, tub, wheel arches, running boards and mirrors (and digital key capability) but still stops short of showing off the entire truck.
The Shark is currently testing in Australia and BYD is pushing to have it on-sale here before the end of 2024.
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It looks equipped for working life, with plenty of protective plastic cladding and relatively modest 18-inch alloy wheels (pictured top), an over-rail tub-liner, plus those integrated steps within the tailgate and side steps.
High-series models are tipped to feature a powertrain that incorporates dual electric motors, raising total power to a Ranger Raptor-beating 365kW.
There’s no word on why the ute was dropped from the show but, luckily for us, the Chinese brand’s first plug-in hybrid pick-up has already been caught without camo, with the first pics suggesting heavy Ford Ranger influence in its brash US-truck inspired styling.
Developed alongside the Ford Everest-rivalling Bao 5 large SUV – from the stable of BYD-owned luxury brand Fang Cheng Bao – the all-new Shark is built on BYD’s all-new DMO ladder-frame platform that was specifically designed for the car-maker’s plug-in hybrid tech and packages its high-tech Blade battery pack between the rails.
The platform is also said to endow the BYD Shark with advanced off-road capability. According to BYD, the use of electric motors to drive the wheels means that torque shuffling from front to rear and torque vectoring across the axle are up to 30 times quicker than equivalent mechanical all-wheel drive systems.
According to early intel, BYD will offer the Shark with either a 1.5-litre turbo or 2.0-litre turbo engine that will be mounted longitudinally. Both are compatible with its Xiaoyun plug-in hybrid system that packages an 18.3kWh battery and could provide for an all-electric driving range of up to 100km.
Maximum power for the smaller engine is 143kW, while the larger 2.0-litre turbo kicks out around 245kW. Fuel economy is quoted at 7.8L/100km, while total driving range of up to 1200km is anticipated.
The ute will also have vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability.
The BYD Shark shares the Bao 5’s cockpit, headlined by a 15.6-inch rotating infotainment screen and a large digital instrument panel ahead of the driver.
