BYD Shark 6 launches in Australia - and its set to take on the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux 

A new ute from Chinese manufacturer BYD is set to take on Toyotas Hilux and the Ford Ranger when it is released later this year.

The Shark 6, made by BYD, will be Australias first plug-in hybrid 4x4 ute and will launch just ahead of Fords Ranger PHEV, scheduled for release in 2025.

The Shark 6 combines a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with two electric motors and a 29.6 kWh battery.

This setup provides an all-electric driving range of up to 100km and an overall hybrid range of approximately 800km.

The ute is expected to be competitively priced to take on its rivals, with a starting price below $60,000 before on-road costs.

If you drive this vehicle like I do between the Blue Mountains and Sydney every day, you dont have to put any fuel in the vehicle, explained David Smitherman, CEO ofs Australian importer EVDirect

And what does that do to the average Aussie family? It probably saves them $150 a week because utes are pretty thirsty, and pretty noisy as well.

There will be a lot of people that just drive this as a pure EV, the average Aussie does 33 kilometres per day, this will eat that up.

The new Shark 6 plug-in hybrid (PHEV) by Chinese manufacturer BYD (pictured) is expected to be priced below $60,000

The BYD Shark 6 has a combined range of about 800 kilometers, with an all-electric range of about 100 kilometers

The Shark 6s towing capacity sits at 2500kg, which is lower compared to its diesel rivals.

We drove from Melbourne to Broken Hill yesterday, covering about 1,000 km on a single tank of fuel, Mr Smitheran explained.

With four big guys in the car, it performed impressively. The vehicle has great technology, including a huge touchscreen, and its whisper-quiet and super quick, going from 0 to 100km/h in 5.7 seconds.

Mr Smitheran hit back at concerns that Aussies driving a traditional diesel-powered ute would snub the vehicle.

The 1.5L turbo petrol engine primarily functions as a generator to power the electric motors

The Shark 6 aims to take on the  Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Isuzu D-Max, Mitsubishi Triton and Nissan Navara

This is awesome - much better than your noisy old diesel.

This vehicle is going to change Australia. Now, we finally have a choice. It has all the features you need.

Another great feature is its four power outlets, so you can charge your batteries at the worksite or enjoy camping with the kids on the weekend.

Orders will be open from October 29 via BYDs website and their dealership network.

In 2023, BYD sold more new energy vehicles (including electric and hybrid models) globally than Tesla.