BYD electric ute is coming to Australia

As the race to deliver the first battery-powered dual-cab ute in Australia intensifies, a newcomer has entered the fray.

Chinese EV giant BYD is currently developing an electric pick-up that will be available in Australia as early as 2023.

BYD’s Australian partner, Nexport, will import a range of electric cars – including a hatchback and SUVs – over the next couple of years, and company boss Luke Todd has told carsales the ute will also be part of its local portfolio.

“It is in our roadmap for 2023,” said Todd.

Other than offering a driving range of at least 450km, there are few details surrounding the still-secret BYD pick-up, including its model name and design – shown here as the BYD Tang in a rendering by Sugar Design.

Front-runners in the race to deliver Australia’s first EV ute include the Rivian R1T now that the Tesla Cybertruck has been delayed again.

Another Chinese rival, an all-electric version of the GWM Ute, is also in the running.

BYD (Build Your Dreams) is one of the world’s biggest EV brands and is building up its presence in Australia through Nexport, which plans to launch the circa-$35,000 BYD Yuan Plus small SUV in October ahead of first deliveries in April 2022.

It already sells the BYD T3 Electric van (from $34,950) and BYD e6 people-mover (from $39,990), although the latter is only a limited-volume program.

The BYD EA1 hatch is also on its way.

BYD vehicles are sold in Australia through Nexport’s EVDirect online sales portal, while the partnership also includes plans for local manufacturing.