SHARK ATTACK

BYD'S SHARK 6 UTE IS A STUNNING FIRST ENTRY INTO THE MARKET, BUT THERE'S STILL ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

- MATT RAUDONIKIS

BUILD Your Dreams (BYD) made big waves late last year when it announced and showed its Shark 6 midsize AWD ute. Not only was the Shark the first PHEV powered vehicle in the ute segment but it promised stunning performance at a stunning launch price of $57,900.

Stunning because $57K barely gets you into a Ranger XLS or HiLux SR5, and the Shark comes with much more standard equipment than either of those two market leaders.

The company backed up the fanfare selling a tad more than 2000 Sharks in its first month on sale (February '25), outselling ever-popular utes like the Isuzu D-MAX, Mitsubishi Triton and Nissan Navara. It will be interesting to see if BYD can keep the momentum rolling on, and for how long it can maintain the current price point.

Early adopters that jumped in to get a Shark shouldn't be disappointed in their purchase as they have a large, efficient, extremely well-equipped ute that is going to tick all the boxes for many buyers. In its single specification, the Shark 6 includes features and interior finishes that are only available on topspec 4x4 utes from other manufacturers ... and at a considerably higher price than $57K.

WHAT IS IT?

BYD is a Chinese company that builds and sells more EVs in its homeland than almost all of its competitors put together. It's well-established in the EV market and is spreading globally quicker than the spicy cough, and it seeks that market domination wherever it sells cars.

The Shark 6 is BYD's first ute and it's targeted straight at the Australian market where such vehicles are so popular that they make up a large part of overall sales.