A smaller ute in the BYD Shark series (Shark 5?) is under development and its design has been revealed via a patent images filed at the European Union Intellectual Property Office.
The ute in the pictures adopts a single side pressing with an integrated cab, rather than the separate chassis pickup format of the Shark 6. Its front end appears to be a straight lift from the Song Plus SUV – the domestic variant of the Sealion 6 for the Chinese market.
If this is the case, we can discern it will likely get the PHEV powertrain from that model, in 160kW front-wheel drive and 238kW all-wheel drive configurations.
This type of design is popularised by the North American Ford Maverick – a small ute which sits under the Ranger – as well as the Hyundai Santa Cruz, which is based on the Tucson mid-sizer.
Its entry into Australia is an unknown at this stage. Our market preference is typically for the traditional style of pickup utility, but new players such as the LDV Terron 9 and MG U9 offer a similar uni-body layout, which may prove popular with buyers going forward.
If launched here, the smaller Shark would serve as a companion to the larger Shark 6 PHEV, offering a more affordable and city-friendly option within BYD’s expanding global range. A full debut is expected sometime in the next six months, with showroom entry in some markets shortly after.
In addition to this, an uprated 2.0-litre BYD Shark 6 is still on the cards to provide more supplemental power and it is set to offer a 3500kg towing capacity compared with today’s 2500kg effort.
