BYD Shark 6 takes sizeable bite out of ute market, but can't beat Ranger in first month

03/04/2025 07:24 PM

The Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux have fended off the first salvo from the BYD Shark 6, nearly doubling the new plug-in hybrid ute's first month of deliveries despite a healthy pre-order bank.

The tally of 2026 Shark 6 utes reported as sold in February includes about 450 examples which hit the road before the end of January, but were reported late due to an “administrative error”.

The Ford Ranger was again the best-selling ute – and second most-popular new vehicle overall – VFACTS sales data published today shows, notching 4040 combined sales of 4×2 and 4×4 models, with BYD‘s result enough to place it third in its class.

Splitting the two was the Toyota HiLux (3616 sales), but BYD still managed to take a sizeable bite out of the ute market, proving more popular than established nameplates like the Isuzu D-Max (2022), Mitsubishi Triton (1420), Mazda BT-50 (1412), and Nissan Navara (774).

However, VFACTS data counts the number of vehicles delivered in a calendar month, not the number of orders taken.

And with BYD stating when Shark 6 deliveries began in January that it was holding more than 5500 pre-orders – after recording 4000 pre-orders by November, a month after order books opened – its first-month sales are reflective of vehicle arrivals, not demand.

The first few weeks of deliveries were affected by a port strike that saw about 3000 Shark 6s stranded on ships off the Australian coastline, waiting to dock and unload.

The 2026-vehicle effort is also enough for the Shark 6 to be the sixth best-selling new vehicle overall last month, outpacing the Mazda CX-5 (1932), Kia Sportage (1927), and Hyundai Kona (1889).

EVDirect, BYD Australia's local importer and distributor, has laid out its intention for the Shark 6 to be the best-selling vehicle in Australia, but it remains to be seen if interest can be maintained.

"What gives me even more confidence that the Shark 6 will end up being the number one vehicle sold in Australia is that we haven't even started test drives," said EVDirect managing director Luke Todd.

"Once people drive the Shark 6, they will love it even more."

With the Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) incentive for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) – which makes plug-ins much more affordable to novated lease customers – concluding at the end of this month, demand for models like the Shark 6 could dip.

The Shark 6 will also face increased competition as more plug-in utes come to market later this year in the form of the Ford Ranger and GWM Cannon Alpha.

However, with the ANCAP awarding the Shark 6 with a full five-star safety rating, it opens the door for fleet buyers to electrify their ranks at a likely lower price than competitors.

Priced at $57,900 before on-road costs for now, EVDirect says it is "under pressure" from head office to push the price up, but the recommended retail price is likely to remain static at least for this financial year, the brand has suggested.

Even with a price change, the Shark 6 will still likely undercut its Ranger PHEV rival, expected to be priced in excess of $70,000, while the Cannon Alpha PHEV starts from $63,990 drive-away.

Top 10 best-selling utes in February 2025

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