VFACTS February: BYD Shark 6 circling Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux

BYD said it was out for blood with the Shark 6, and blood is exactly what it got last month.

The latest round of VFacts sales data has been released by the FCAI and in it was an unofficial list of the 2025 BYD Shark 6’s victims in February: the Mazda BT-50, Mitsubishi Triton, VW Amarok, KGM SsangYong Musso, GWM Cannon and Cannon Alpha, LDV T60 Max, Nissan Navara, Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series and the JAC T9.

Not even the Isuzu D-Max could fend off the toothy and potent newcomer as 2026 Aussies took delivery of their new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute, earning the Shark 6 sixth place on the best-selling models list for February 2025.

It was also the third-best-selling ute in Australia last month and seeing as BYD is supposedly unphased by the pending expiry of PHEVs’ eligibility for the government’s Fringe Tax Benefits (FBT) exemption, there’s a reasonable chance the Shark 6 will continue circling the leading Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux.

For comparison’s sake, 4040 new Rangers were registered last month alongside 3616 Toyota Hiluxs, so the Shark 6 still has a bit of growing to do before it’s ready to take down the kings in terms of sheer volume, but then again, it did just tackle the Ranger Sport V6 in a recent comparison and came out on top.

It will be interesting to see what happens to sales next month once the tax incentives associated with PHEVs – via a novated lease – are null and void, and punters have to pay the full asking price.

According to one Shark 6 customer, the weekly cost of a novated lease will increase from $220 a week to $380, extrapolating out to an extra $8320 per annum.

Still, by modern ute and PHEV standards, the BYD Shark 6’s $57,900 (plus ORCs) starting price is an absolute screamer that’s sure to attract plenty of interest away from leases, which have thus far accounted for the majority of orders.

We’re predicting Shark 6 sales to grow in March as supply continues to improve and consumers make the most of the FBT exemption while they still can before things simmer down a bit in April and May.

Being an all-new, largely unknown entity in a defiantly traditional segment will both work in the Shark 6’s favour as well as against it, but as more reviews and comparisons are published and it matures on the market, sales will likely trend upwards and likely prove a constant headache for Isuzu, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota, Ford, VW and GWM.

Heaven help if it gets a few utilitarian and/or capability upgrades in the coming months and years…