BYD Shark PHEV

BYD SHARK PHEV

The world's largest electrified vehicle maker, BYD, has released a PHEV ute.

 

The world’s leading electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid maker, Chinese BYD, released the first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute in Australia, beating the 2025 Ford Ranger PHEV by several months. The Shark was cheaper, but BYD after-sales support was reported to be less than optimal and they won’t let us test one.

 

 

BYD launched the Shark PHEV in Mexico, in mid-2024. That location was no accident, because Mexico, the USA and Canada had a free-trade agreement. BYD may well be angling to get USA and Canadian market access without punitive duties, via a plant in Mexico. Time will tell.

The 2024 Shark PHEV used a traditional body-on-frame design, but with a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain up front and an electric-drive rear axle. The 1.5-litre, turbo-petrol four and electric drive produced 170kW and 310Nm, and the rear electric motor produced an additional 150kW and 340Nm. The 4WD combination was 220kW and 650Nm.

Thanks to its underfloor 29.6kW-h lithium ferro phosphate (LFP) battery pack the Shark could travel a claimed 100km on electric power alone. The combined parol-electric range was said to be 840km. Fuel consumption in the NEDC cycle was a claimed 2.0-7.5L/100km, depending on range and driving mode.

Charging time from 30-percent battery state of charge (SOC) to 80-percent charge at a 40kW DC fast charger was said to be only 20 minutes.

 

 

BYD departed from the traditional ute live-beam rear axle in favour of independent rear suspension, with the electric motor mounted on the chassis.

This arrangement not only decreased unsprung weight, but also improved ride and handling. Another huge advantage over an axle-mounted electric motor was that the electric motor wasn’t subjected to road vibrations via feedback through the tyres and suspension, while also increasing ground clearance.

With overall length, width and height dimensions of 5457mm,1971mm and 1925mm the 2024 Shark was a little larger than the Ford Ranger. It sat on a 3260mm wheelbase and had widish front and rear track dimensions of 1660mm.

Tare weight was a claimed 2710kg and GVM was 3500kg, resulting in a rated payload figure of 790kg, which was competitive for a tricked-up, all-coil-sprung crew-cab ute. However, towing capacity was only 2500kg, compared with most utes’ 3500kg ratings.

Braking was provided by four-wheel ventilated discs and regenerative braking, via an on-board battery charging system.

 

 

The Shark had a full suite of electronic safety aids: Intelligent braking system; Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA); Parking Brake Deceleration Control (PDC); Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system; Electronic brake-force distribution (EBD); Hill Start Control (HHC) System; Comfort braking function (CST); Coordinated regenerative braking system (CRBS); Rollover Prevention System (RMI); Hill Descent Control (HDC); Distributed Traction Control System (DTCS); Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC); Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC); Forward Collision Warning (FCW); Rear Collision Warning (RCW); Rear Cross Traffic Collision Warning (RCTA); Rear Cross Traffic Collision Preventive Braking (RCTB); Lane Departure Warning (LDW); Blind Spot Lane Departure Warning (LCW); Emergency Lane Departure Assist (ELKA); Automatic High Beam Control (IHBC); Automatic emergency braking (AEB); Front parking radar; Rear parking radar; Direct tire pressure monitoring system; Speed-sensitive automatic door locking; Remote control door lock and mechanical child safety lock. 

The Mexican market Shark offered: remote start of air conditioning; remote vehicle start; keyless entry; push button ignition; rack and pinion electrically assisted steering (R-EPS); four-way manual adjustment steering column; electronic parking brake (EPB); Auto Hold (AVH); Sport, Normal, Eco, Mud, Sand and Snow modes; automatic air conditioning with dual zone temperature control;  rear row footwell air vents; front row footwell air vents; multiple airbags and rear air curtains; cargo area lights; roll cage; tailgate retractable ladder and trailer power connector; rain sensor windshield wipers; privacy glass; body-colored exterior mirrors; exterior mirror lights; blind spot indicator on exterior rearview mirror.

Mexican-launch interiors featured synthetic leather seats; six-way power adjustable, heated and ventilated driver’s seat; four-way electrically adjustable lumbar support; four-way power adjustable, heated and ventilated passenger seat and ISO-FIX child seat anchors.

There was an Australian on-line launch on October 29, 2024 – high on red-dust and country music atmospherics, but very light on detail. What we knew up front was that there was an early-bird price of less than 58 grand!

 

 

In December 2024 the Aussie specs came out, revealing that the initial specification was the full-on Premium version, with all the ‘fruit’ listed above.

BYD Australia also had a wide range of optional Ironman accessories that could be fitted before delivery. The list included tow bars, sports bars, bull bars, manual and electric tonneau covers, and canopies.

 

 

 

BYD after-sales

 

We’d love to give you our much anticipated road test report on this potential ute game-changer, but, despite repeated requests during the past 18 months for a Shark test ute, nothing has materialised.

We suspect that our uncompromising reporting may have scared them off, but we’re sorry we can’t give you a test report.

We’d also offer word of caution about BYD, given the high number of reported after-sales-service issues at some of its dealerships.

Another issue is that, although the number of BYD dealerships is growing, there was still inadequate support in regional and remote areas, as at mid-2025.

Let’s see if BYD’s after-sales backup can match the Shark’s undoubted ‘wow’ factor.