A regulatory image of the BYD Shark.
- The Shark pickup went on sale in Mexico in May 2024, and is now sold only in overseas markets.
- The pickup is built on BYD’s DMO platform and features a plug-in hybrid system combining a 1.5T engine with dual front and rear electric motors.
BYD’s (HKEX: 1211) Fang Cheng Bao brand has made a regulatory filing for the Shark plug-in hybrid pickup, bringing the overseas-first model a step closer to a launch in its home market of China.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) included the BYD Shark in its latest batch of new-vehicle filings released on Friday.
In the filing, the model is listed as a plug-in hybrid multipurpose freight vehicle, with the production address given as one of BYD’s manufacturing bases in Zhengzhou, Henan province, in central China.
The Shark measures 5,457 mm in length, 1,971 mm in width and 1,925 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,260 mm, according to the filing — dimensions that match the overseas version.
The vehicle’s cargo bed has interior dimensions of 1,520 mm in length, 1,530 mm in width and 515 mm in height, and the cab is approved to carry 2+3 occupants. Its curb weight is 2,710 kg.
For power, the Shark is fitted with an engine with a displacement of 1,497 ml and a maximum net power of 135 kW, meeting the China 6 emissions standard.
The vehicle is equipped with dual front and rear permanent-magnet synchronous motors, with the front motor delivering a peak power of 170 kW and the rear motor a peak power of 150 kW, for a combined peak motor power of 320 kW and a top speed of 180 km/h.
The Shark uses a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery produced by BYD’s battery subsidiary FinDreams Battery.
The Shark is built on BYD’s DMO platform, in which the O stands for off-road and DM for dual mode.
The overseas version can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 5.7 seconds and has a combined NEDC driving range of 840 kilometers.
The domestic filing delivers on an earlier promise by BYD management. Xiong Tianbo, general manager of the Fang Cheng Bao division, announced in May that the Shark pickup would be added to the Fang Cheng Bao lineup this year.
BYD launched the Shark in Mexico in May 2024, a rare instance of the company debuting a new model in overseas markets before its home market of China.
The strategy stems in part from China’s policy environment. Pickups are classified as light-duty trucks in China and face numerous restrictions on urban use, leaving the category a niche market.
Still, China’s new-energy pickup market is growing rapidly as electrification advances quickly.
To date, the Shark has entered multiple overseas markets, including Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Cambodia and Pakistan.
With the Shark now entering the domestic regulatory filing catalog, its official launch in China is expected to be near, at which point it will compete with pickups from GWM (HKEX: 2333) and the electric pickup from Geely’s Radar brand.
BYD sold 557,090 BEVs in the second quarter, about 77,000 units more than Tesla’s 480,126.
