BYD is one of the world's fastest growing automotive companies, which is constantly developing designs to disrupt established brands.

The Chinese company's cars are challenging the most popular brands on the roads, such as its hatchback (titled the Dolphin) or its seven-seater SUV (called the BYD Tang).

On top of that, BYD also has five-seater SUVs (both electric and plug-in hybrid) and a saloon design.

It seems that after making cars aimed at all different kinds of motorist markets, it is now targeting a new one: pickup truck owners.

BYD has called its pickup the Shark, named after what it called "the ocean's most powerful resident".

Basis for design

According to BYD, the Shark is aimed at "customers seeking a more efficient type of pickup that can complete many journeys on electricity alone".

The Shark is built to "keep up with the demands of work and active lifestyles", a step many car companies have taken in recent years with the rise in popularity of bigger vehicles, such as SUVs.

BYD has given the Shark a double-cab layout, allowing for five seats in what it describes a "comfortable cabin, complete with typically useful BYD technologies".

This includes vehicle-to-load charging, allowing a range of devices to be powered by onboard sockets.

BYD's executive vice president, Stella Li spoke about the role the Shark can fill in the market.

She said: "We're thrilled to bring Super Hybrid to the pickup segment with the Shark.

"The market for plug-in hybrid pickups is expanding rapidly, and we're confident that the Shark will be really appreciated by customers across Europe who want this type of vehicle but aren't willing to compromise on efficiency or comfort" Li said.

Specs

The 5.5m-long hybrid pickup has a pure-electric range of up to 55.9 miles. With a full charge and tank of petrol, it can achieve 419 miles of range.

Recharging the battery fully from 15% takes just over three hours when hooked up to a three-phase 11kW AC charger.

Faster refills can be seen from 55kW DC charging, which BYD claims can take the battery from 30% to 80% in 21 minutes.

The 430hp Shark achieves 0-62mph (~100km/h) in 5.7 seconds (similarly timed to a Mk4 Ford Focus ST), which is not quite as quick as the Ford F-150 Lightning, but is definitely nothing to be sneered at.

The pickup's power comes from a pair of electric motors, meaning that 228hp/310Nm comes through the front axle while 201hp/340Nm is in the rear.

The 1.5L turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine (which is mounted longitudinally) spends most of the time running as a generator of electricity for either the motors directly, or the Blade Battery that sits at the heart of the powerchain.

The petrol engine also produces 148hp and 240Nm of torque by itself.

The Shark has a towing capacity of 2.5T and a maximum payload of 790kg, which is complimented by the 1,200L load bay.

It also features a 15.6in touchscreen display, which BYD claims is the largest in any pickup.

In addition, the pickup comes with vegan-leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto and many other amenities for the interior.

In terms of driving experience, intelligent and adaptive cruise control, rear collision warning, lane departure assistant and blind spot detection are just some of the features to make driving that bit easier.

The Shark is offered in a single trim level, meaning all these features and more comes standard to the pick up.

BYD's pickup truck is available in a choice of five exterior colours: Atlantis Blue, Obsidian Black, Polar White, Grey Green, and Sunrise Orange.

Key markets

The big problem with e-vehicles in Ireland is a lack of access to charging points, and this device would ultimately suffer from the same problem.

E-vehicle numbers are rising steadily, but without easy access to charging points, adoption of them becomes harder.

Leitrim is a known problem area for charging points, and as a result, little to no uptake of e-vehicles has taken place there.

Realistically, this model could be a valid alternative for those already driving a pickup truck if there were enough charging access points around.

In Europe, the Shark is more likely to take off in markets such as the Netherlands, Germany and France due to those countries having better e-vehicle charging infrastructure.

If it were not for tariffs placed on China, the Shark could find a perfect home in the US. However, that is unlikely to happen unless at least the tariffs are dropped.

The relationship between the US and China would also have to improve for Chinese automotive manufacturers to attempt to launch products in the American market.

If these vehicles found their way to the US, they would most likely be a success, as pickup trucks are popular in parts of the country, especially amongst southerners in states such as Texas.

The main barrier beyond tariffs to BYD's Shark thriving in Texas is the range of the truck.

Would it be able to keep up with pickups there in the oil industry and agriculture? If it proved that it could, then BYD's Shark could prove the predator to existing pickup trucks.

Currently, BYD is concentrating on penetrating European and Latin American markets further and establishing itself as a true competitor in the automotive industry.

Prices for the BYD Shark start from £47,290 (around €55,400), inclusive of VAT. Deliveries to the UK are expected in quarter four of 2026.