BYD's hybrid answer to monster utes such as the Ford F-Series, Toyota Tundra, Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado coming to Oz? Australian CEO hopes so!

Is the BYD Shark 6 going to be joined by a big brother?

A full-sized ute might be in the pipeline for the near future, targeting American pick-ups like the Ford F-Series, Ram 1500, Chevrolet Silverado and Toyota Tundra in Australia.

As the ‘6’ suffix implies, BYD has already confirmed that further Shark models are envisaged, with ‘9’ as good a name for the largest as any – if it gets the green light.

Australian importer EV Direct CEO, David Smitherman, said the only way to go in the ute segment is up, especially if sales of the Shark 6 take off in the way that the company is hoping for.

“There isn’t a (full-sized ute) contender available abroad,” he told CarsGuide at the launch of the Chinese brand’s answer to the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Isuzu D-Max and GWM Cannon Alpha in rural Victoria last week.

“But, you can see that the range of different (types of) utes in Australia is significant.

“We've had significant interest from fleets around (the Shark 6 and future variants there-of) …and around full-sized utes as well.

2025 BYD Shark 6

“And you know how passionate I am with my prior history about the full-sized ute segment.”

These comments are not surprising when you consider that Smitherman’s quarter-century career centred around several utes – including those from LDV, SsangYong and (most tellingly) Ram when he was with Ateco Automotive.

It was there where he helped introduce the whole remanufacturing-from-left-hand-drive industry in Australia with the first Ram DS-series 2500s, 3500s and later 1500s, beginning from the mid-2010s.

Few local executives would possess Smitherman’s experience making big utes work in this market, with local Ram remanufacturing recently passing the 30,000 sales milestone.

Ironically, it is Ram’s march upmarket that provides BYD with a compelling opportunity for an affordable full-sized ute in Australia.

The discontinuation of Ram’s bestselling entry-level DS 1500 Express from $82,950 (all prices are before on-road costs) in 2023 means the next-cheapest is now Ford’s F-150 XLT from $106,950, while the least-expensive DT Ram is the 1500 Big Horn that normally starts from $119,950.

With Ram 1500 volume subsequently halving since the DS' demise as evidence of a gap in the segment, the return of a sub-$100K full-sized ute should find a receptive audience in Australia.

So, what would a BYD full-sized ute look like?

2025 BYD Leopard 8

Nobody knows, except that it would have to be an even bigger and bolder take on the Shark 6, with more attitude and brashness to go with the extended length, width, height and wheelbase.

Luckily for fans of BYD, the basis for a big ute might already exist in China, courtesy of the company’s fledgling off-road brand, Fang Cheng Bao, and its new Leopard 8.

Aimed at the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, it is a full-sized SUV using a body-on-frame chassis dubbed Dual Mode Off-road (DMO) architecture, complete with plug-in hybrid (PHEV) power.

In this instance, it combines a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with an electric motor underneath driving the front wheels, a second electric motor over the back axle for four-wheel drive and a circa-37kWh Blade Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery pack nestled within the chassis.

2025 BYD Leopard 8 PHEV chassis

This sounds like the perfect basis for a future Shark 9 full-sized ute – and it’s not as if BYD hasn’t tried this exact same formula before, either.

Fang Cheng Bao also makes a midsized SUV alternative to the Toyota Prado and GWM Tank 500 in China, using a scaled-down version of the DMO component set, called the Leopard 5. Expected in Australia sometime next year, it happens to be the basis of the Shark 6 as well.

Leopard 5 = Shark 6; Leopard 8 = Shark 9.

While the Shark 6 is the first ute with a PHEV powertrain period, Ram might beat BYD to the punch in Australia, thanks to the 1500 Ramcharger.

2025 BYD Shark 6

As yet unconfirmed for our market, it pairs a 3.6-litre petrol V6 with a 250kW electric motor up front, a 238kW one on the rear axle and a 92kWh battery, for a claimed EV-only capability of 233km and a combined PHEV range of 1110km.

However, given Ram’s lofty pricing, it would be difficult to imagine that Ateco could price the 1500 Ramcharger under $150,000.

Finally, were the Shark 9 to happen, would BYD be the first brand to offer an original factory-built right-hand-drive full-sized ute in Australia? Tundra, F-Series, Ram and Silverado are all converted from LHD stock sourced from North America.

Would you like to see a big brother to the Shark 6, complete with an advanced PHEV 4WD powertrain, sold in Australia for substantially under $100,000?

We can tell you who wouldn’t: Ram, Ford, GM, Toyota…