Will lots of grunt and a strong electric edge from BYD’s ute compensate for lite towing and payload figures?

IS the attraction a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine with two electric motors offering a combined 316kW power and also delivering up to 100 kilometres’ electric-only driving?

Is the detraction that a tray deck larger than a Ford Ranger will enter the one-tonne sector going lite by ladder frame standards in respect to payload and towing, quite potentially due to the powertrain it goes with?

Considerations in respect to the Shark from BYD, the world’s second-largest electric maker after Tesla, will be raised now more detail in respect to this important utility have been shared during its international unveiling.

Set to show off in New Zealand at the national rural fieldays on June 12, with an on-sale occurring some time after that, BYD’s first ever utility truck also stands to be just its second plug-in hybrid here.

It will place alongside the technically similar Seal-U sports utility wagon, as well as its three fully electric cars.

BYD New Zealand has yet to offer any comment about the type, revealed today, except to tell an industry publication with low public profile that it will have a right hand drive example at Mystery Creek.

The Shark showed in Mexico, a location chosen because of the rapid growth in demand for pickup trucks there. Mexico is also a hotspot for sales of cars from China; these accounting for almost 10 percent of registrations. BYD is planning building a plant there.

The launch event announced Shark will come in two trims, GS and higher-specced GS. 

BYD assures it will travel up to 100 km in EV mode before needing to be recharged and up to 840km using both electric and combustion methods. 

That range estimates come from using the NEDC method, which is considered less accurate than the WLTP testing now preferred in New Zealand.

It is also claiming a diesel-like optimal economy of 7.5 litres’ per 100km and 0-100kmh in 5.7 seconds, when in hybrid mode.

That step-off, and the cited power output, makes it gruntier than the most powerful one-tonne-based ute here, the Ford Ranger Raptor, which has 292kW in optimal V6 form.

The Shark is billed as having "the world's first longitudinal electric hybrid system," with the illustration above, released by BYD, showing all four wheels are driven by the electric motors – whereas the petrol engine can only directly drive the front wheels.

Three 'terrain' modes – Snow, Mud and Sand – are provisioned for off-road use.

The interior’s major feature is a 12.8-inch infotainment touchscreen. Ahead of the driver is a 10.25-inch instrument display, and a 12-inch head-up display. Leather-look trim is used on the seats.

Crash-avoidance safety features include autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane centring assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. However, as displayed in Mexico, the Shark has six airbags, which is a lower count than with modern utes.

Overseas’ media reports say the battery pack can be recharged from 30 to 80 percent in a claimed 20 minutes.

Vehicle-to-load technology allows the Shark's battery to power external electrical devices while camping.

At 5457mm long, 1971mm wide and 1925mm tall, and having a 3260mm wheelbase, the Shark is longer, wider and taller than a Ranger.

The tray volume is greater, too, with BYD citing a volume of 1450-litres, against Ranger’s 1233. But outside of the Raptor, it is beaten by the Ford for payload, being rated to tote only 835kg on the deck, and the maximum towing rating is just 2500kg - so, 1000kg shy of the one-tonne category benchmark.

The payload trade-off seems to be a result of it straying from usual ute convention by having a (car-like) independent rear suspension – in addition to independent front suspension.

BYD says 54 percent of the body is made from high-strength steel, and asserted the battery is part of the chassis structure.