Build Your Dreams (BYD), the giant Chinese manufacturer, has announced the Shark pick-up truck for European markets. It’s a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) sold under the DMO Super Hybrid banner of BYD, and its promising some useful stats for business owners.
What are the specifications of the BYD Shark?
The dual mode off-road (DMO) arrangement longitudinally mounts a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine up front in the truck. This on its own makes 150hp and 240Nm, but it’s not really there as a primary propulsion unit; that work instead falls on the twin electric motors.
With one on each axle, the front e-motor delivers 231hp and 310Nm, while the rear contributes 204hp and 340Nm. BYD quotes the system outputs as 436hp and 650Nm, enough to see the more-than-5.45-metre-long truck from 0-100km/h in 5.7 seconds.
As well as a 60-litre fuel tank, the Shark has a 32.2kWh lithium-ion Blade battery incorporated. This can achieve up to 90km of pure-electric running, and a combined range of 675km for the BYD when running on both its resources. Fast DC charging of 55kW means a 30-80 per cent replenishment cycle of the battery requires just 21 minutes, although AC charging is a little slower – three hours 12 minutes at 11kW or approaching five hours on a typical 7.4kW wallbox.
The Shark’s chunky frame has approach and departure angles of 31 and 19.3 degrees respectively, its fuel efficiency is quoted as 3.5 litres/100km (80.7mpg) WLTP or 9.6 litres/100km (29.4mpg) on a depleted battery, and the stated CO2 figure is 23g/km. Other details of the BYD Shark include a towing rating of 2,500kg of braked trailer, a max payload of 790kg in a 1,200-litre loadbed area, and two vehicle-to-load (V2L) output sockets which can power devices at 6.6kW.
What about interior styling and equipment?
Two large screens, a 15.6-inch infotainment item and a 10.25-inch instrument cluster, form the main cabin interface of the BYD Shark. Equipment accompanying these should likely include vegan-leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, a 12-speaker Dynaudio sound system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 50-watt wireless smartphone-charging pad, front and rear parking sensors with a 360-degree camera system, and keyless entry and go, among more. BYD also says it hasn’t scrimped on the advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) safety gear either, bringing a full suite of the tech to the truck.
Is it just sold as a double-cab?
For now, yes, with five seats in the passenger compartment. BYD says there is 900mm of rear legroom in the Shark, complete with a totally flat floorwell and seatbacks inclined at a car-like 27 degrees, so comfort levels for three people in the second row should be impressive.
How big is the BYD Shark?
The BYD Shark is a bit of a giant, measuring 5,457mm long (of which 3,260mm is in the wheelbase), 1,971mm wide and 1,925mm tall. The kerb weight is 2,710kg and the GVW 3,500kg, while the Shark runs on 18-inch wheels in chunky all-terrain tyres as standard. The pick-up has 210mm of ground clearance when fully laden, and 230mm if ‘running light’.
Anything else to add?
Stella Li, executive vice president of BYD, said: “We’re thrilled to bring Super Hybrid to the pick-up segment with the Shark. This type of vehicle really benefits from our DMO Super Hybrid technology, offering pure-electric capability, the most power in the class, excellent off-road capability, outstanding efficiency and long-distance flexibility.”
A BYD spokesperson for Ireland said that no launch of the Shark was yet in the pipeline for our market, although they were hoping the truck would be here in the second half of 2027 at the latest.