SPY PICS: BYD ute caught testing in China

A camouflaged pick-up that’s reportedly the long-awaited BYD dual-cab ute has been spied testing in China, with a single overhead image surfacing on a variety of media outlets.

Circulated by China Car News, the image shows a dual-cab prototype in blue-and-white camouflage cruising through suburbia.

Little is known about the model, but as we’ve previously reported, the BYD Tang has been mooted as the Chinese-market moniker for the ute.

Australian BYD executives have also previously confirmed the development of the ute, and its inclusion in the launch schedule Down Under.

BYD’s battery-electric ute is expected to be shown in production form in China next year and could be on sale in Australia before the end of 2023, bolstering the budget brand’s local line-up which has opened with the BYD Atto 3 small SUV and will be joined by a small hatch and mid-size sedan in the months ahead.

“It [a ute] is in our roadmap for 2023,” BYD Australia CEO Luke Todd told carsales in September last year.

Todd’s 2023 roadmap aligns with speculation out of China, where a growing number of mid-size utes are in contention for release in Australia to provide an alternative to the expensive just-launched LDV eT60 that’s priced from $92,990 plus on-road costs.

These include the Geely Radar RD6, a variety of all-new models from Chery and one from Sany.

In the years ahead, full-electric versions of the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and other popular utes are anticipated, along with bigger pick-ups from legacy and EV brands alike including the Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T, Ford F-150 Lightning, Chevrolet Silverado EV and RAM 1500 EV.

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