BYD Shark 6 deliveries commence in Australia, but they're about to hit the brakes
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The rollout of the hotly-anticipated BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute to customers is now underway – but it has already hit a roadblock, amid port strikes around the country.
The first BYD Shark 6 dual-cab utes have been delivered to Australian customers as the local importer looks to fill an order bank of 5500 vehicles.
The first deliveries took place in Brisbane, Queensland, after the original shipment bound for Australia left China in mid-December 2024.
Priced at $57,900 before on-road costs, the Shark 6 is sold in Australia in a single trim level powered by a petrol-electric plug-in hybrid (PHEV) drivetrain delivering more power than a Ford Ranger Raptor.
Order books for the Shark 6 – set to rival the upcoming Ford Ranger PHEV due mid-year – opened in October 2024, with local importer EVDirect claiming it has built up more than 5500 buyers since.
MORE: BYD Shark 6 – first utes leave for Australia
The company said in a media statement that under normal circumstances, customers would not have to wait more than approximately six to eight weeks between placing an order and taking delivery.
But arrivals may not be so frequent due to industrial action impacting an estimated 35,000-plus vehicles waiting to dock around Australia, which has forced future shipments of the ute to anchor offshore until the strikes are lifted.
"Unfortunately due to the ongoing port industrial action, more Sharks can't get to shore – but we are hopeful that this will be resolved soon," EVDirect CEO David Smitherman said in a statement.
MORE: Car delivery delays emerge amid Australia-wide port strikes – over 35,000 vehicles affected
The Shark 6 will play a crucial role in EVDirect's ambitious targets for the brand in Australia, expecting to sell around 10,000 Shark 6s – around one-quarter of its 2025 total brand sales goal – with a bold claim to become more popular the number one-selling Ford Ranger.
BYD is looking to double the 20,458 sales it achieved in Australia last year, with the Shark 6 tipped to be its best seller – taking over from the BYD Seal electric sedan.
A sales result of around 40,000 would see BYD knock on the door of the Top 10 best-selling brands, with GWM posting 42,782 sales last year to rank 10th overall, the second-best result for a Chinese brand.
In February 2025, BYD expects the first shipments of the Sealion 7 – a battery electric family-size SUV rival to the Tesla Model Y – to arrive in Australia, again barring port delays.
Smitherman told Drive he expects to become BYD's most popular battery electric vehicle in Australia in 2025, but the Shark 6 and popular Sealion 6 will mean plug-in hybrids will make up the larger share of its 2025 sales.
In 2024, the BYD Sealion 6 was the most popular plug-in hybrid vehicle in Australia, overtaking the long-standing Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
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