BYD propelled itself up the sales charts to become the second best-selling car brand in Australia last year, with its Shark 6 ute doing the heavy lifting.
One of only a handful of plug-in hybrid utes, the BYD Shark 6 was not only the most popular PHEV in the country but also the best-selling ute among private buyers, beating the commercial-focused Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.
That’s despite the Shark 6 only being available in one variant with a single powertrain, as well as a reduced 2500kg braked towing capacity compared to its 3500kg-capable rivals.
Now, a tougher Shark 6 is set to circle Australian showrooms, with government approval documents showing BYD has been given the green light to sell an enhanced Shark with a bigger engine and greater towing capacity.
According to the documents, the new Shark 6 variant will be powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine, with the PHEV powertrain also incorporating electric motors on the front and rear.
With the 180kW engine, 200kW front electric motor and 150kW rear, it’ll have a combined output of 345kW, well and truly above the 321kW figure for the current model which has a 135kW turbocharged 1.5-litre engine, plus two electric motors (170kW front, 150kW rear).
The higher power output coincides with the braked towing capacity increasing to 3500kg, allowing the Shark 6 to truly compete with the best-selling Ranger and HiLux variants, as well as most other utes on sale locally.
Expect an increased kerb weight of 2738kg (up from 2675kg) but an identical gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 3500kg, meaning the payload will be reduced.
It’s worth noting that Ironman 4×4 already has GVM upgrades available, increasing its figure to 3850kg while also bumping up the payload capacity from 790kg to 1140kg.
BYD is also understood to be closer to launching a cab-chassis version of the Shark 6 in the near future, as the current ute cannot have its tub removed and warranty retained, due to its high-voltage components.
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