2025 BYD SHARK 6 HYBRID UTE
How do you get a shark up a mountain?
Easy, just put it in drive, put your foot down, sit back and relax.
The new Shark 6 Hybrid ute from Chinese automotive manufacturer BYD, (Build Your Dreams), which appears to have a penchant for naming its vehicles after sea creatures. With the Dolphin, Sea Lion, Seal and now the Shark and I suspect that it’s the Shark 6 Hybrid ute that is the most eagerly anticipated vehicle in the company’s range here in ute-mad New Zealand.
BYD was founded in 1995, originally as a battery manufacturer, moving into automotive in 2003. As a relatively new company, BYD doesn’t really have to tie itself to any notions of traditional vehicle design, so there are no analogue dials on board. Instead you get a ten-inch screen in front of the driver, displaying essential information like speed and warning lights, while there is a larger, fifteen-inch screen in the centre of the dash that serves as a central command for infotainment and air conditioning.
There are cameras all over the vehicle, should you find yourself in a tight spot off-roading and you can even look at the ground beneath the ute, all through the excellent quality screen. The most important thing about this centre screen is that it can pivot between landscape and portrait mode, depending on what the operator prefers. Whichever way around it is, the heating and ventilation controls are always present at the bottom of the screen. There are cruise control and radio buttons on the steering wheel and I was impressed with the knurled metal knobs for the volume control, the drive modes and the terrain modes. There are still plenty of knobs and buttons and the overall design of the Shark 6 has a pleasing, functional chunkiness to it, topped off with plenty of orange highlights, which really lift the look of the interior.
Despite the large size of the Shark 6, the turning circle is incredible and this is also the smoothest-riding ute I think I’ve ever driven. Under the bonnet is a 1.5 litre hybrid, Turbo-charged four-cylinder engine that can assist the front wheels when certain modes are selected, although its primary job is that of a generator to charge the battery and help run the front motor.
To give you some idea of how much grunt is on offer, the combined power of the piston engine and the two permanent magnet synchronous electric motors is 321 kW, (with 650 Nm of torque), or to translate that into ute-speak, about the same as a four litre V8 internal combustion engine. The Shark 6 stomps from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds and it does so with utter smoothness. About the only time I was made aware of the presence of the hybrid engine was when driving up the mountain.
Underneath, you won’t find any leaf springs, instead you’ll find double wishbone suspension front and rear and the stopping power of ventilated disc brakes all round. The Shark 6 can handle the tough stuff, but it’s still economical enough to do the school run.
All of the seating is very comfortable with top-notch materials used to give an excellent fit and finish all around. But don’t worry, no sharks were skinned to upholster the seats — they’re clad in imitation leather that’s heated and cooled in the front. There is plenty of space both front and rear with power controls for both front seats and the back seats also recline slightly.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both available and wireless, as well as Bluetooth, but if it all gets too much, you can just use voice command to do things like switch the radio and seat heaters on and off and even open the windows. There is an excellent heads-up display too.
The Shark 6 is available in a range of colours inspired by the ocean, including Great White and one of the few vibrant colours in the entire BYD range, Sunset Orange. My favourite feature of the BYD Shark 6 was the graphic display in the screen in front of the driver. It features an image of the ute you’re driving with quite brilliant detail, including all of the lights, so when you put your foot on the brake, the brake lights on the on-screen image light up. Same with the indicators, reverse lights, headlights and even the numberplate lights. Now that is some impressive detail.
PRICE AS TESTED: $69,990
SPRING SPECIAL: Buy a Shark before 31st October 2025 and get $4000 to accessorise, or take $4K off the RRP.