BYD, the world's largest electric vehicle (EV) maker, has unveiled its first-ever pickup truck, the Shark. While it is only available in Mexico for now, BYD plans to sell the Shark in other global markets (Brazil, Europe, and Australia) as well. The US is not on this list, meaning that the EV maker is not 'eyeing the US market', while also brushing aside the latest US tariff hikes on Chinese EVs.
With the recent unveiling, the BYD Shark joins other mid-sized pickup trucks in the segment, and its price starts at about $ 53,432 (roughly Rs 44.61 lakh) for the GL variant and goes up to $ 57,577 (roughly Rs 48 lakh) for the GS. It will directly rival the Ford Ranger plug-in hybrid, while also facing competition from the Toyota Hilux and Chevrolet S10. Speaking of plug-in hybrids, the Shark comes with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, which comprises a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine and two electric motors (one on each axle) drawing power from BYD’s Blade battery.
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The result is the combined power output of 424bhp+, which is good enough to propel the pickup from 0 to 100km/h in 5.7 seconds. According to NEDC (New European Driving Cycle), the vehicle's electric-only range is rated at 100km, while the combined (petrol+electric) range stands at an impressive 840km. BYD says the plug-in-hybrid pickup can be charged to 80 per cent from 30 per cent in 20 minutes.
BYD Shark: Dimensions, Design
Dimensions-wise, the BYD Shark measures 5,457mm long, 1,971mm wide, and 1,925mm tall, making it 132mm longer, 71mm wider, and 110mm taller than the Toyota Hilux. BYD's pickup features a wheelbase of 3,260mm against the Hilux's 3,085mm. Based on the new body-on-frame platform which BYD calls DMO (dual-mode off-road), the Shark pickup has maximum payload and towing capacities of 835kg and 2,500kg, respectively.
Borrowing cues from the new Hyundai Santa Fe, the front end of the BYD Shark is marked by C-shaped LED daytime running lights connected with a full-width light bar, and a large BYD logo. At the back too, the Shark gets the connected lighting arrangement with the debossed BYD logo on the tailgate.
BYD Shark: Features
The feature list includes two digital screens (a 12.8-inch rotatable infotainment system and a 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster), wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, six airbags, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, a 360-degree camera, a surround-view monitor, and 50W wireless charger, among other things.
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There is no word on the BYD Shark pickup coming to the Indian market. Nevertheless, BYD is working toward bringing three other electric vehicles here. These could be the Tang, Seal U, and Sea Lion SUVs.
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