BYD says no to diesel utes… but Chery says yes

The BYD Shark 6 was as popular as fish and chips last year, becoming the fifth-highest-selling ute in the country in its first full year on sale, which is unprecedented. It did so despite missing the ute essentials: no 4x2, no single-cab, no cab-chassis models and a sub-par 2500kg towing limit.

Most importantly? No diesel. BYD is fixing the rest, but they’ve made one thing clear: diesel is dead in its eyes. Which is in stark contrast to Chery, whose new 'KP31' turbo-diesel plug-in hybrid ute could be the Shark 6’s most serious competitor yet.

BYD’s showroom is bulking up with a sea of hybrid – specifically the Sealion 6, 5, and 8. While the SUVs are circling, it’s the Shark 6 ute that’s been doing the heavy lifting for sales this year.

Last year it went from being an unknown quantity in the ute segment to finishing in fifth place with over 18,000 sales.

That’s a big achievement for a ute that’s only available as a dual-cab pickup (no fleet-friendly single-cabs or cab-chassis options here, nor a 4x2) and falls well short of the segment towing standard of 3500kg.

It’s also missing something else that’s seen as a segment must-have: a diesel engine.

But BYD’s top brass say it doesn’t want – or need – a diesel of any kind in its Shark 6, whether straight combustion or as part of a PHEV powertrain.

“We’re a new energy vehicle company, diesel… it’s not us”, BYD Australia chief operating officer Stephen Collins told carsales.

“It’s just not what we’re about. We’re about plug-ins and EVs and being future-looking.”

Instead, BYD will broaden the Shark 6’s appeal through the addition of a more tradie-friendly cab-chassis body style and the eventual introduction of a gruntier 2.0-litre engine that should finally unlock a 3500kg tow rating for the hybrid ute, as well as fairly ridiculous 450kW/760Nm peak outputs.

The Shark 6 cab-chassis ute was originally slated for the first quarter of this year, but that option has now been delayed until sometime in the second quarter.

Will the absence of a diesel hurt BYD in the long run? Especially as Chery today announced the world’s first turbo-diesel PHEV dual-cab will be on sale in Australia by late 2026.

The mid-size 4x4 pick up segment is overwhelmingly a diesel one, but with the Shark 6 having been able to carve an 8.5 per cent slice of it for itself in the space of just a year, a diesel engine is clearly not a prerequisite for sales success anymore.

BYD’s Chinese rival, Chery, plans to bring the KP31 diesel PHEV ute to our shores towards the end of this year – a configuration that might prove popular with diesel-mad ute buyers who also like the idea of making their next ute an electrified one.

Yet, diesel-electric hybrids aren’t common in the automotive space due to diesel tech generally not being as compatible as petrol with the short-cycle bursts of combustion power that hybrids typically require.

Ford’s Ranger PHEV and GWM’s Cannon Alpha PHEV, the Shark 6’s only plug-in rivals right now, both utilise a petrol combustion engine.

So it remains to be seen how well Chery’s diesel-drinking PHEV will perform both as an environmentally-conscious vehicle, and as a workhorse.

However, if Chery can make it fit for purpose, the Shark 6’s stranglehold on the eco-friendly ute niche may be a short one. Things are hotting up, and it's not the established brands innovating.

Longer term, will BYD’s refusal to go down the diesel path be the right one?

Diesel has fallen out of favour in Europe (previously diesel vehicles’ heartland) and many manufacturers are turning to petrol-electric hybrids, battery-electrics, and even hydrogen as eventual diesel replacements.

“I think where we started, maybe our timing’s been good – but I think you’ve got to back it up with more than just timing,” Collins said.

“We’re such a young brand in Australia, just three years old, and we’re just starting to see the potential.”

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