The tub-less version of BYD's popular Shark 6 ute wouldn't exist without Australia, a top executive has revealed.
Australian demand for a cab-chassis version of the BYD Shark 6 has prompted its development and launch less than 18 months after the arrival of the pick-up.
The Shark 6 range was "designed specifically" for Australia, according to BYD Asia Pacific managing director Liu Xueliang, and feedback from customers and fleets locally is fed back into global development of BYD utes.
"Recently, we have just launched Shark CC [cab-chassis] model, which has been very much welcomed by a lot of consumers," Liu told media including Drive through a translator at the Melbourne motor show.
"Actually, we didn't consider this model before, because we heard the voice from the consumers about the need for the Shark CC model.
"That's why we developed this special model just for the consumer here, and actually it turns out to be a very popular vehicle model."
Developing a cab-chassis Shark 6 is more difficult than simply removing the tub, as high-voltage cables and charging hardware is fixed to the sheetmetal inside the shell of the pick-up's tray.
Service body and metal tray conversions have been developed for the Shark 6 by aftermarket companies, but earlier comments by BYD to local media suggest that tampering with the tub by technicians not approved by BYD would void the warranty.
The Shark 6 cab-chassis, on sale now and shown at the Melbourne motor show over the weekend, moves the battery charging port and onboard power socket to the storage box behind the rear-right wheel.
Prices start from $55,900 plus on-road costs, only $2000 less than the pick-up, despite the cab-chassis dropping heated and ventilated seats, a head-up display, a 15.6-inch touchscreen and other items.
The cost involved in re-engineering the electrical hardware of the vehicle may be a contributing factor.
It excludes the additional cost of the alloy tray, which was designed in partnership with local four-wheel-drive accessories specialist Ironman 4x4.
More than 18,000 Shark 6 utes were reported as sold in Australia last year, topping the charts for the BYD brand, and quickly becoming one of its most important models.
"Shark 6 is designed specifically for [the] Australian market," Liu told media, "so there is definitely a correlation between the success in the Australian market for Shark 6, and the success of this such model in other countries where pick-ups have been popular.
"So thanks to the consumers who adopted Shark 6, and that will definitely [have] an important impact on the global Shark pick-up development."
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
