The Chinese brand of electrified vehicles BYD presented its new Shark model, a plug-in hybrid truck of the mid-segment, the most popular in our market, and a competitor to models such as the Toyota Hilux or the Ford Ranger. Its announcement was made in Mexico; while anticipating the arrival of a new company plant in that country.
This was announced by the regional director of BYD Americas, Stella Li, at an event in Mexico City, a place that stood out for being the first destination outside of China in which the company launches a new model globally. This is in addition to the factory that the brand is installing in Brazil to begin manufacturing electrified models before the end of the year.
The Chinese firm assured that the choice of Mexico as its first market is due to its strong demand for trucks against classic American competitors such as Ford and General Motors and the Japanese Toyota, which dominates the segment worldwide with its Hilux pickup.
The Shark truck plans to expand throughout the region, since its arrival is confirmed for Brazil between the months of August and September.
Clarion consulted company sources, but at the moment, there is no official confirmation of its arrival in Argentina, a country where five models the size of the BYD model are manufactured: the aforementioned Hilux and Ranger, the Volkswagen Amarok, the Nissan Frontier and the Renault Alaskan.
Although there is already a good supply of Chinese pickups throughout Latin America, in Argentina there are other models such as the Great Wall Poer or the JAC T8, this adds the peculiarity of becoming the first to have plug-in hybrid propulsion technology in the region .
The three-engine truck
Con a design undeniably inspired by the Ford F-150, this BYD Shark has a slightly larger size than its rivals. It is 5.45 meters long, 1.97 meters wide, 1.93 meters high and has a wheelbase of 3.26 meters. This makes it, for example, longer (+14 cm), wider (+11), taller (+11) and with a longer wheelbase (+15) than a Hilux.
Built on a stringer chassis, the cargo box also appears to have the largest volumetric capacity, with more than 1,400 liters available. However, the capacity in kilos reaches 835.
But the most important novelty that this model presents is in its mechanical assembly. It is equipped in total with three engines: one 1.5-liter turbo gasoline and two other electric, which are mounted on each of the axles. The traction is integral on demand.
Although BYD was not precise in the power delivered by the entire set, several versions indicate that it reaches 430 horsepower, which would make it one of the most powerful in the segment, only surpassed by the Ranger Raptor, a model with a specifically designed for sporty driving.
Where BYD was accurate is in some performance data: it can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds and offer a autonomy of 840 kilometersof which 100 km can be done using only electricity, thanks to the fact that its battery can be recharged by plugging it into an electrical network.
Inside it will be well equipped and the first images suggest more of an SUV interior than that of a work vehicle. It has a 10.25-inch digital instrument panel, a 12.8-inch multimedia center that can rotate for use both horizontally and vertically.
It also includes a 360° camera, 180° view under the vehicle, wireless charging for smartphones, six airbags, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking and lane keep assist, among other assistance systems. to driving.
It is also possible control some functions from a phone app and opening doors can be done with a card or from the Wallet function of an iPhone. It will also have a Head-Up Display that projects information on the windshield so that the driver does not take his eyes off the road.
A giant that grows bigger every day
Founded in 1995 as a battery company, BYD has grown to become the world’s leading manufacturer of electrified vehicles and a leading renewable energy technology company.
BYD (“Build Your Dreams” or “Build your dreams” in Spanish) is the most important electric vehicle brand in China. In fact, the group has already announced that it will stop producing cars with combustion engines to concentrate on hybrid and electric models.
About the end of last year, the Chinese automaker It surpassed its American rival Tesla by delivering more electric vehicles worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2023. And although the entire year was dominated by Elon Musk’s brand, the result was a sample of what this giant is capable of.
Taking all technologies, last year BYD sold more than three million plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and electric vehicles (more than 52% of the company’s sales). It is the undisputed leader in its national market in what they call “new energy vehicles”, where it sells an average of 52,000 units every week.
But, in parallel, it is applying a strong global expansion in different corners of the planet. He has already made official his decision to install a car factory in Hungary and that he wants a second factory in 2025 to supply the European market and avoid future tariffs that will be applied in the Old Continent to models manufactured in China.
BYD too has arrived in our regionsince it assembles electric buses in Brazil and has already acquired a factory in Camaçari, in the north of the country, for which it announced an investment of 620 million dollars to begin producing electric and hybrid cars in the neighboring country.