Fresh patents filed in Europe suggest BYD is hatching plans for a new ute to sit beneath the popular BYD Shark 6.
The plan is it will be considerably cheaper than the $57,900 plus on-roads charged for the plug-in hybrid pick-up that’s proved immensely popular in Australia this year.
Images of the new small ute were reportedly leaked following a trademark application with the European Union Intellectual Property Office.
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They reveal a ute that appears clearly based on the BYD Sealion 6 currently sold in Australia.
Hotly tipped to have been developed for buyers in Europe, South America and Australia, the images of the unnamed dual-cab ute suggest it will come with a short bed and ape other car-derived pick-ups like the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz sold in the US with clear SUV look.
While sharing styling upfront with the Sealion 6, at the rear there are a pair of vertical taillamps that are interlinked by a full-width LED light bar.
The fuel filler cap, meanwhile, is located on the rear left fender. The charging port for the plug-in hybrid system is found on the rear right fender.
The images also suggest a clear lifestyle bent, with a rear sports bar and a roof rack. It’s thought the car-based monocoque underpinnings will limit payload.
There’s no word if the new BYD ute will be offered as both an EV and plug-in hybrid. If it’s the former the ute to come with a rear-mounted e-motor that will produce 170kW with a smaller 65kWh battery, or 180kW with a larger 79kWh battery.
An all-wheel drive, dual-motor version with 290kW could also be offered.
Down Under, it’s thought BYD Australia will be more interested in the firm’s DM-i PHEV powertrain that blends an 18.3kWh or 26.6kWh battery with a 150kW/300Nm front e-motor and a smaller 120kW/250Nm rear motor fed electricity by a 96kW/220Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine.
Total power should be 253kW and 550Nm of torque, with a 0-100km/h dash set to take around 5.5 seconds.
The version with the bigger battery should come with an EV-only range of more than 130km. Highly theoretical claimed combined fuel use would drop to less than 1.0L/100km.
Like the Sealion 6, the plug-in hybrid version would be capable of being topped using AC power at 6.6kW and up to 18kW using a fast DC charger.
Some reports suggest the entry ute might also come with the more powerful plug-in set-up from the Shark 6, suggesting an even larger 29.58kWh battery for a range that could surpass 200km, which allows for faster 55kW DC charging.
There’s no word yet when we will next see the entry=level BYD ute, but it’s thought it could be unwrapped before the end of this year ahead of sales starting in 2026.
