BYD Shark 6 is ‘a mobile billboard’ for charging Chinese brand

The BYD Shark 6 will form an important part of the marketing strategy designed to build awareness for the fledgling Chinese brand.

BYD Australia importer EV Direct pushed to get the BYD name emblazoned across the rear of the new plug-in hybrid ute, mimicking the successful branding ploy made popular by Toyota with its Hilux.

Many utes now splash the brand or model name across the rear – the latest Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok are two of the most recent – to ram home the nameplate and help differentiate themselves from their rival load luggers.

“We all notice utes at the traffic lights, and you’ll see a big BYD tailgate (on the back of the Shark 6),” EV Direct CEO David Smitherman said.

“A ute is like a mobile billboard, and I think brand presence is a great thing. I see it as a real opportunity to increase our presence in the marketplace. I think that will help our brand presence.”

Of course, the BYD branding is not just on the rear of the Shark 6, with the grille also proudly showcasing the initials that spell out the Build Your Dreams name that was originally used on the brand’s vehicles.

Smitherman said the Shark 6 will play an important role in helping with brand awareness, something he says is increasing exponentially as BYD ramps up its marketing activity and sales continue to grow.

Internal research conducted by BYD Australia showed unprompted awareness of brands that build EVs was only around 15 per in May 2023 – about six months after the brand launched the Atto 3 medium SUV – and that it had skyrocketed to 41 per cent by May 2024.

“As a brand we’ve been really trying to work on awareness,” Smitherman said, adding that the vehicles themselves – and in particular the Shark 6 – continued to play an important role.

“If we can have vehicles all over Australia with significant clear branding on them it’s got to help with lifting that conscious/unconscious awareness.”

The Shark 6 looks set to become the first plug-in hybrid ute on the market, providing a key point of difference to the diesel-powered heavy hitters of Ford, Toyota, Isuzu and others.

The dual-motor, all-wheel drive dual-cab ute can be recharged externally to get about 80km of EV range, allowing tradies, families and businesses to run it purely as an EV for shorter daily journeys.

But there’s also a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that can either act as a generator for the battery or directly drive the wheels above about 70km/h.

The Shark 6 is designed for off-road driving but has independent suspension front and rear – making it unique in the ute segment – with the intention of sharpening its on-road behaviour.

However, it can only tow 2500kg in a segment where the benchmark is 3500kg.

Smitherman doesn’t believe that will be of any sales consequence considering how most people use their utes, singling the Shark 6’s plug-in hybrid powertrain as “a massive advantage” in a sea of diesels.

He also said there’s a “good chance” the Shark 6 would be BYD’s top selling vehicle in Australia, something that suggests initial sales of at least 12,000 vehicles per annum.

While that’s well short of the circa-50,000 by the Hilux and Ranger, it’d still represent solid sales in an increasingly competitive market.

Ford and GWM are planning to launch plug-in hybrid EV utes next year while Kia will release its diesel-powered Tasman, with an EV following down the track.

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au